The Good, the Bad and the Dirty
by PrincipessaBel
Summary: Yamazaki Tomie is as weird as the next ability-user. However, just like the next-ability user, her bubbly and cheery facade is nothing but a cover-up to her dark past. The only difference was that she's always been stuck with Akutagawa Ryuunosuke as a partner and still have the guts to be able to joke around his ominous presence. [OC-insert]
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

Two figures walked side-by-side in the dark streets of Yokohama, a city filled with hope and prosperity in the day… while violence and crime reigned in the night. It was thirty-six minutes past twelve on a chilly night in November. Feet scraping on the cold pavements, the smaller one of the two figures tried her best to keep her breathing from hitching and to keep herself from tipping away from her balanced form. Her vision was starting to blur and the wounds on her small petite body were starting to itch. She looked at the other figure with drowsy eyes.

A boy, no older than eighteen years old, clad in a black ominous coat and an unfeeling expression walked beside her. This boy was a colleague; he entered their organization a few weeks after she did. Naturally, she expected them to bond in a strong 'partners-in-crime' way but the boy showed no interest in her ideas and suggestions. He, also, does not seem to be currently willing to carry her if ever she passes out on the alleyway at that moment. She was grateful, nonetheless, for the said boy had saved her from an attempted arrest and an almost murder due to the endless pursuit of the Armed Detectives Agency. She had been reported as a drug lord, in the past month, but her transactions and _fishing_ trips were never about drugs.

Despite the long list of criminal records of the Port Mafia, it was an unwritten code that not one is to be tempted in to producing, selling or using drugs. It's just a disaster waiting to happen and the leader does not approve of it, not one bit. Try if you dare but you will easily be _taken care of._

The flickering of lights in the nearby lamp made her stop, slowly looking behind her. A feeling of being gazed at planted itself on her mind. _Could it be that those agents are following us?_ She thought to herself. Shrugging the thought aside, with the little energy she had, the girl started, "You know, Ryuu, if you haven't been walking around Yokohama…"

"You would've been taken as a prisoner." He continued her statement, before coughing softly, trying his best to suppress the _irritating_ feeling in his lungs. ' _Ryuu_ ' added in annoyance, "And do not casually call me by my first name, Yamazaki."

Ryuu, or most commonly known as the Silent Rabid Dog of the Port Mafia, gave a sideways look at the girl beside him. He was merely walking around the town, looking for interesting things to do when he heard familiar voices of the Armed Detectives. Ryuu curiously followed the voices, only to see Yamazaki being dissected half-to-death by two of the agents belonging to the said organization. "I owe you one, _Akutagawa Ryuunosuke_." The petite girl said with a smile, fully enunciating his name with gratefulness. "What would you like for breakfast tomorrow? My treat." She said, weakly lifting up her hand to pat Akutagawa's shoulder.

She heard him sigh in infuriation at her response, only to cough a few seconds later. Yamazaki chuckled a little, forcing her face to keep her smile despite the perpetual pain from the wounds she had acquired. The girl did not mind the pain; it was somewhat _pleasurable_ to some extent. To those who didn't know her, they would've called her weird… but the saying had always been true.

' _There is always something wrong with gifted people_ ,' as the old ability users may say. She's no exception. Her sense of pain and pleasure was almost borderline non-existent. One could call her condition close to the masochistic behaviors. Even her mentor would find it disturbing to hear her moan in pleasure while in the middle of training.

"Have your wounds treated first." He stated, his voice somewhat lacing a tone of worry. At the detection of his tone, Yamazaki almost had her hopes up in hearing _more_ words of concern from her partner, only to be disappointed at the continuation of Akutagawa's statement. "Nakahara-san won't be happy with those… Even if you're our resident ' _masochist'_ , he'd go ballistic if he finds his student dying and not by his hands, at that." He finished, coughing once again.

Yamazaki sighed and rolled her eyes. _Typical, Ryuu._ She thought to herself as she patted his back, a habit she's developed while working with the raven-haired boy. The girl felt him stiffen up but decided to scold him with the remaining vigor left in her body, "You should… really bring water when you're going for a walk… You sound like a dying whale." Suddenly, her world was spinning and she was tripping over herself. Her hands made contact with the rough concrete, a feeling of pain and pleasure immediately shot up through her body. She could feel herself coughing her lungs out, a metallic taste left on her mouth. _Blood?_ With shaky hands, she brought it up her to her mouth - only to confirm her suspicions as she felt the liquid drip down her chin.

Strong arms helped Yamazaki stabilize her position from the ground, calloused hands wiped off the blood on her chin. "Speak for yourself…" Akutagawa said monotonously, staring at the pitiful brunette infront of him. He hoisted her in an upright position with surprising gentleness, as if he's afraid to break her further. "You sound like you're _dying_."

"I am dying." The girl laughed wholeheartedly, and with that, Yamazaki unceremoniously fainted in the arms of none other than mafia's most fearsome assassin.

"Tch. You _lazy-ass_."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY! So, I'm not abandoning my other story, Interlaced Kismet, but I'll be putting this up here~ Because I'm that _shameless_ and _thirsty_ enough to actually do a DazaixOC story! Hehe~

I hope you guys enjoy this series and I'll do my best to update as regularly as I can manage... I hope. lol. Reviewing, following and adding this to your favorites always makes my heart jump and flutter in joy so please show support if you loved this~


	2. Pt1, Ch1: The Port Mafia and the Mentor

PART 1: THE GOOD  
CHAPTER 1  
[The Port Mafia and the Mentor]

* * *

It was past eight, the busy buzzing of the streets in Yokohama paid no heed to the silent plead of the victims in the alleyways. A bunch of thugs gathered around a group of young children, orphans by the looks of it. There were four children; all of them sporting the same hair color, eye color and similar facial traits. To a person with an observant eye, these four children were most likely siblings. The thugs held the eldest siblings' wrist, a girl no older than ten years old, and smirked at her like she was a weak hare. "Where's momma and papa, little lady~?" The man mocked. He teased the child with the knife in his hand, slowly dragging the blunt edge at her arm. The girl could only whimper and cry in fear. Their parents were no more. They can't call for anyone anymore. They could only hope for a self-less hero who would risk their life for them. But they know that the chances of that happening were very slim.

A petite young girl with shoulder-length brown hair stared at the scene with pure disgust and revulsion. Surname omitted, she calls herself _Zheng_ and she has lived in the alleyways of Yokohama for nearly a year. _For what reason?_ The homeless people like her could only speculate. All they know was that her sense of justice was stronger than anyone living off of the streets. The air around her suddenly turned cold, a spark of electricity snapping once or twice around her. _How dare they harass innocent children for money..._ She thought to herself, amber-colored eyes blazing with pure hatred at the abuse she's seeing. A few strands of Zheng's hair were starting to defy gravity as electricity flowed from her body to the metal pipe she's been holding so dearly.

"L-Let go of them!" She stuttered accidently, making her blush in embarrassment. The brunette girl had done this so many times yet each time, she'd be attacked by anxiety right before she confronts the hoodlums. The whole gang looked at her and laughed. They were making fun of her small stature, her unbalanced stance and her weapon, which was a measly rusty pipe. There were five of them and one of her; to them, it was an easy kill.

What they didn't realize was that Zheng was barefooted, that her pipe was sparking with hundreds and hundreds of watts of electricity and that her eyes were burning with vengeance. With a battle cry, the petite girl rushed towards the direction of the hooligans. They anticipated her to immediately hit them but it didn't come. Zhen targeted a water tank that was seated exactly beside the ruffians. The water sprayed and soaked them good.

She made sure that the children were backed away in the corner, not one of them drenched with water, before screaming her lungs out as she stabbed the ground with her electric metal pipe. A lightning flashed from her barefeet, to her body, to her metal pipe and towards the water-soaked thugs. They screamed in agony. Hundreds and hundreds of watts seared through their bodies, frying them alive. It was a cheap tactic to bring down her enemies but it was the least energy-consuming strategy that Zheng would always use to save other oppressed homeless orphans such as herself.

Panting from the use of her ability, she weakly picked up a small paper bag that she had acquired from an owner of a parlor earlier that day. She helped with cleaning the front of the said parlor, due to some incident with petty crime gangs and rebel teenagers, and the owner was nice enough to treat her to dinner – giving her a take-out, just in case she gets hungry. _They need it more than I do_ , Zheng thought to herself as she reached out for the four siblings. "You can h-have this." She meekly told them.

"N-No way!" The eldest sibling slapped her hand away, the bread inside the paper bag rolled out the dirty pavement. The brunette girl forced herself to not cry at such display of wasting food. The child continued, screaming on the top of her lungs as if her and her siblings' life depends on it, "Y-You're a freak! You w-want us to take this a-and you're going to electrocute u-us, too!"

"No…" Zheng shook her head, frantically reaching up to the tossed-out bread, all within the five-second rule, and offered it to the children, "I-I'm helping you-"

"Go a-away!" The kid yelled at her and the siblings followed suit. They started shooing her off, calling her names and directly insulting the _hero that they had prayed for_ just after the thugs had cornered them.

A shadow loomed over Zheng; a teenage boy with brown, nearly orange hair, sneered at the children. He was wearing an expensive-looking suit, an elegant long coat and a sophisticated hat. He scolded them sternly, a frown of disgust etched on his face, "She defended you without asking for anything in return, you little shits, and this is how you _repay_ her?" It seemed that the teenager had been watching her fight the thugs and her pleads to the children to accept her help. The brunette blushed at his words, it was the first time someone had ever stood up for her and it made her so happy.

"B-But she's a freak!" The eldest said. "She should've just died with the criminals earlier!"

The other siblings nodded. "Yeah!"

Zheng knew that herself and she can't stop agreeing to their words. She was garbage of society. She was a freak with no home. Her parents didn't even want her alive… But that coming from the people whom she has helped stung her heart a bit.

She saw the teenager walked towards the children with an irritated face. The brunette held his gloved hand without hesitation. It was almost the same size as hers, a little unusual for a boy like him. "I-It's okay." She gave out a fake smile, an attempt to stop him from beating up, or possibly killing the ungrateful children, "I'm used to this-" She was cut of her statement as the boy took the bread from her hands without second thought.

In a short swift movement, he was suddenly in front of the eldest sibling. Shoving a smaller piece into her mouth that he had torn off from the bread, he commanded, "Eat, you brat."

The kid spat out the food in abhorrence, shielding her brothers and sister from the two teenagers. "No! L-Let's go." She said in haste, ushering her siblings away and they ran towards the deeper parts of the alleyways.

With the children gone, the fatigue from over-using her power was starting to take a toll on her body. She was panting harder, sweat trickling on either side of her face. Zheng looked up to the boy who stood up for her. She finally got a chance to examine his face up close. He was handsome - almost to the point of being beautiful due to the fact that his hair curled and framed his face as it cascaded down his shoulder. His eyes were the deepest hue of blue she has ever seen and his over-all fashion sense was to die for.

"What's your name?" The boy asked her.

"I... I'm Zheng." She muttered softly, not mentioning her surname. _It was a disgrace._ Bearing her family name was a disgrace that she'll never once associate herself with.

The brownish orange-haired boy lifted an eyebrow but decided to not question her further. He looked around the alleyway and then looked at her from top to bottom, stopping to gaze at her dirty and scarred feet for an uncomfortably long time. By the time the teen pulled his eyes away from her feet, he spoke once again, "Do you live here in the alleys?"

"No…" She bit her lip to prevent herself from feeling emotional about the topic of home. Zheng gulped and played with the hem of her tattered shirt, a habit she's acquired during the hellish stay in her house before she lived off on the streets. "A piece of garbage like me lives nowhere."

She stared at the boy with a frown on her face, spots were starting to form on her vision, and the heaviness of her body was starting to become unbearable. She heard him mumble something but the words weren't processing on her ears at all. Zheng knew she's slipping off from her consciousness. Her balance tipped off and she can feel herself falling, face first, to the cemented pavements. A shout of " _Oi!_ " was the final thing she's heard from the strange boy as a pair of arms caught her from head-banging on the concrete.

At that one moment, Zheng fell into the arms of darkness, both literally and figuratively.

* * *

Zheng woke up to a blinding light. She had some sort of wires connected to her wrist. A contraption with some bags of red and white liquid was being pumped into her being. _An IV?_ She thought to herself. It was a windowless room, no painting nor plants adorned the lonely room. It was… a depressing white box. The familiar smell of anti-bacterial air coming from the vents registered on Zheng's brain and she smiled sadly as the memory of being in and out of the hospital came back to her. _Ah, just like the old days, huh…_

The door opened and revealed the boy from before. He was wearing the same manner of clothing but it didn't seem the same for the details in his vest and hat were different. The shade of his slacks was a lot darker than from the last time she saw him. With a hoarse voice, Zheng asked, "Where… am I?" She coughed a bit, her throat dry from probably over-sleeping without proper hydration.

The teen passed a glass of water towards her as he sat on the chair on the bedside of her hospital bed. "I hope you don't mind that I brought you to the headquarters."

She blinked. She wasn't at a hospital? Zheng looked at him with a horrified expression. The thoughts of her being an experimental guinea pig for some shady organization infiltrated her mind. "H-Headquarters?" The brunette dubiously asked, her voice merely reaching a whisper.

Her wide eyes probably gave out the crazy thoughts running in her mind for the brownish-orange-haired boy gave out a lopsided grin, "I didn't do anything to you. You're not my type, so don't pull up your chair." She tilted her head, not exactly knowing what he meant by that. She decided to not ask and the boy continued, "And yes. The boss decided to bring you in."

Zheng was starting to put the pieces of his words together, trying her best to form a simple hypothesis with what the boy was saying. "The boss?" She prodded on. Either she was in a small business headquarter, possibly antique dealers from what she's seeing with the teen's style, or she's wounded herself in the middle of the Port Mafia. She's heard of them and, as a hunger-driven orphan child in the streets, she'd sometimes pray for the gods to give her access to some form of entrance to their organization. Normal people would've been scared of even mentioning the name of the organization but Zheng was different. Her life was already hell even before she's learned to write her name. The Port Mafia may be the home she's looking for, considering that ability-users like her are almost tossed around like garbage, and the organization was rumored to be employing ability-users with such great respect.

 _Now was her chance,_ if her hypothesis was true.

"You're in the Port Mafia now, whether you like it or not." The boy uninterestedly said but the spark in his eyes didn't leave unnoticed by Zheng's sharp observation skills. He seemed to be interested, to say the least, at the newcomer. The brunette gripped the white bed sheets, the excitement of finally being admitted to the Port Mafia shot through her veins. She was finally getting a job - a job that will pay her _handsomely_ just because of her advantage with her ability and a job that accepts her for who she is as an ability-user. "Don't disappoint me-"

"Does that mean I have a job?" She blurted out accidentally, an ear-splitting smile forced its way on her face. Zheng tried her best to control the smile but she can't help it. The Port Mafia was accepting her as if she's got something that they want. It's as if she's _needed_ , even if it's with just a simple mission.

"Technically." The boy nodded, his eyes closed, and then looked at her with his wide blue eyes, "You're looking forward to this?" He asked hesitantly. It was the first time, in a long time that a new recruit was looking forward to working with the mafia. Either they were complete psychopaths or orphans, just like her. With the ominous grin that decorated her face, the teen could only shake his head. _I will have to talk to the boss about this._ He thought to himself.

"I'm… I'm a freak." Zheng said almost jokingly, however, she was internally heartbroken at the words coming out of her own mouth. _I'm just telling the truth._ She consoled herself. _Nothing to be ashamed about._ "I don't belong anywhere but… I've heard of the Mafia. Y-You guys make use and give worth to people with… with abnormal abilities, like mine, right?"

"You're the first, then."

"What?"

A chuckle came out from the teen. He stood up and loomed over the girl, his blue eyes were piercing through her soul as he said to her in a menacing voice, "We don't get many softies like you. When my partner hears you say those things, he'll keep doting on you and you wouldn't want that."

She blinked. There were a lot of questions that formulated on her head but there's one thing that peaked her interest, enough curiosity for her to directly ask the boy. "Your partner?"

"Dazai Osamu. The 5th executive leader of the organization." He said nonchalantly, leaving the brunette girl in awe. She was speaking with a high-ranking person and he's just around her age, if she guessed his age right. The curly-haired boy sighed in annoyance, pure hatred lacing his tone, "He's a born Mafioso… so you better watch out when it comes to him."

Zheng gulped as he looked at her directly. She bowed her head as low as she can while she's in a sitting position. "I-I'm sorry if I had talked too casually to you, sir." The teenage girl stuttered. Her cheeks were tinted red and she continued, "I will be mindful of my words from now on."

He smirked at her, amused at the polite attitude she's displaying. If Mori Ougai sees her like this, she'd be promoted immediately into being Elise's playmate – and that's a compliment for its one of the highest position to be given to a member, what with working so close with the boss and Elise, and the safest for there're barely any fights due to the heavy security around their leader and his... _ability_. "No big deal. I'm not the one for high praise." He told her with no malice whatsoever.

Zheng looked up to him with pure respect, both literally and figuratively. She wanted to become his most trust-worthy ally. Whatever happens, she knows she want to become the most useful subordinate to him, that is, if she gets assigned to work with him. The girl mentally promised herself to do her best in order to serve the mafia, especially the teenager infront of her whom she now fully respects, in whatever assistance he may need.

 _Damn_ , he cursed in his mind, completely uncomfortable with Zheng's misleading gaze. _If she falls in infatuation with me, this'll be a huge problem_. _She's got potential, after all…_ He thought to himself. Several newcomers, especially the girls, would always make the mistake of being distracted with infatuation towards him and his partner, Dazai Osamu. It was a blessing, after all - having handsome genes, superhuman strength and authority in the mafia all at once. Let's just say they'd either end up in the _middle of the cross fire_ while trying to protect both of them or they'd _get horribly murdered_ in attempt to make him and Dazai surrender to the enemy camp. "What was your name again?" He asked her, a little unnerved by the sparkly look she was giving him.

The sparkle in Zheng's eyes faltered at the mere mention of her name. "I… I hate my name." She said to him meekly and shamefully, the interest of the curly-haired boy sky-rocketed at the sudden change of character. The brunette forced herself to look at the teen with pleading eye, "P-Please don't call me by it."

" _What is it?_ " He asked with authority.

"I… I'm Zheng. P-Please don't… k-kill me… b-but I don't want to tell you my s-surname."

"I am merely asking for confirmation." He scoffed, his patience starting to wear off and it was over-bearing his interest towards the newcomer. Perhaps it was due to her earlier gaze that made him feel suddenly uncomfortable in Zheng's presence.

He continued, "We've made a brief background check on you, _Zheng_ , if the name we've gathered was true. At the age of twelve, you brutally murdered your parents with your gift and a hundred stabs in the abdomen." He saw her grip the hem of her bed sheet for dear life. Her head was hung low, obviously an attempt to hide her shamed face. The brownish orange-haired boy rolled his eyes at the drama, continuing his statement about her past. "Of course, not everyone knows of the real truth. They glorified your parents thinking that they risked their lives from the murderer just to be able to save your sorry ass. Since then, you've been hiding around the streets of Tsurumi."

"Is that true, brat?" He asked for confirmation at the end. The boy found it useless for the shaking of Zheng's shoulder, her head hanging low and the grip on the bed sheets was enough to say that she's guilty for what she did.

"Y-Yes, sir." She whispered, her voice filled with blame and remorse at the recollection of her past that she had tried so hard to forget. Tears started to form on the corners of her eyes; however, it didn't have a chance to stream down her cheeks as a warm hand patted her brown unruly locks. Zheng looked up to the boy one more time, his eyes filled with sympathy and understanding, as if her past was almost the same as his.

"You can make up an alias. Anything other than your name if you wish to forget about your past."

"Y… Yamazaki?" She asked him for confirmation. He shrugged and gave her full reins of picking her alias. "Please call me Tomie… Y-Yamazaki Tomie."

"…" He thought about the name, his mind formulating the right characters to come with the traits she displayed to him as of that time. The boy nodded at her with affirmation, "Alright. I'll tell boss about your name change so he can relay on to the others."

She mumbled a soft 'hai' and stayed silent _. Yamazaki Tomie. Tomie. Tomie Yamazaki._ She chanted in her mind. Zheng liked the rhythm of her new name. She liked the syllables that came with it. She liked the meaning that came with it. If only her mother was sensible enough to have named her with a Japanese name, instead of a Chinese name that completely throws off every person she meets with how to pronounce it. It's either she gets called ' _Zen'_ or ' _Tsuen'_ , both of which are completely farfetched from her actual name.

"How old are you?"

"F-Fourteen."

"Huh…" He voiced out in surprise, "Three years younger... I could've sworn you look a lot younger than that."

Zheng, now called Yamazaki Tomie, gaped in surprise at the boy. "Y-You're seventeen?" She could've sworn he was a lot younger than that. What with his small stature, she thought he was just around her age bracket, from thirteen to fifteen. It would've been no surprise if he was _that_ young because rumor has it that the mafia doesn't care for one's age - as long as you are willing to do heinous deeds for them and as long as you are willing die for them.

"I'm turning eighteen in a few months." He corrected her. The teen went at Yamazaki's bedside table, grabbing a black stand-up collar blouse with a bright red hem on the bottom part, white pants and a red bow-tie to color her palette. _No shoes_. She commended his observational skills. Had they given her shoes to wear, she'd be embarrassed enough to use it _at all times_ , rendering her ability useless. The boy explained, "I had the Black Lizard choose some clothing for you, considering that those tattered clothes of yours aren't fit for a mafia. Spending a thousand or two on a good-looking hat doesn't make a big dent on our pays, anyway."

The brunette smiled at him apologetically, pushing the clothes away from her. _I can't accept this._ Yamazaki said, "I can't… I don't have… money to pay those clothes, sir. I-I can't accept it-"

"You can repay us with your service." He cut her statement, putting the said clothes on her lap as a final decision that she's accepting it. "I'm _Nakahara Chuuya_. Just in case someone harasses you, tell them that I'm the one who let you in and that the boss, Mori Ougai, let you work for us."

 _Nakahara Chuuya. So that's his name._ She inwardly thought. _What a beautiful name._

Yamazaki bowed towards him once again, "I… I'll work hard and you can ensure my loyalty and devotion now lies at the Port Mafia. Be it at the stake of my own life."

Chuuya grinned at her, "You better work hard. This isn't going to be an easy life, brat." Yamazaki knew that he wasn't scaring her off. He was telling the truth about the nature of her life, starting from now on.

The brunette gave out a wholehearted laugh, the first time in a long time that she's felt somewhat… less problematic. Chuuya raised an eyebrow at her out-of-place laugh. She told him no malice whatsoever, "My life has never been easy, though, Nakahara-san…"

"Touché." He nodded, knowing that living off of the streets after being orphaned was never in the category of ' _living easy'_. "You'll fit in well with the likes of the Black Lizard." Chuuya complimented, seeing the possibility of her ability blossoming with the help of Hirotsu and Tachihara.

Yamazaki blinked in confusion for the nth time that day, "What's the Black Lizard?"

"…or not."

* * *

After a few days of deliberation, Yamazaki wasn't assigned under the care of the Black Lizard. In fact, she wasn't assigned to any major groups in the mafia, at all.

 _Chuuya._

It had to be under Nakahara Chuuya's care.

The brunette was more than happy to be able to work under the boy who helped her join the Port Mafia but he wasn't as eager as her. Mori decided that the curly-haired boy must be the one, and _only_ , person to train the newbie in order for her to be useful as soon as possible. Nakahara asked him _why_ , out of curiosity, only to be responded by a mysterious chuckle, an ominous smirk and an irritating ' _I have a feeling that I'll find it amusing, Chuuya-kun._ '

He wasn't irritated by the fact that he's got his first underling, he was thankful, even, that Mori trusts him. Plus, Yamazaki was competent when it comes to observing, even the tiniest detail in a picture doesn't escape her eyes. She was polite and humble enough to her superiors that even Hirotsu is already showing interest in recruiting her to the Black Lizard. ' _Not many teens these days are as polite as her'_ , he once said to Chuuya when she was introduced to the commander of the said group.

The petite mafioso was irritated by the fact that 1.) Dazai deemed it necessary to stick by _his side,_ at all times, to make sure that Chuuya wasn't doing something _weird_ to Yamazaki, 2.) Dazai deemed it necessary that Yamazaki should always call for _his help_ whenever Chuuya was doing _something bad_ to her, and 3.) Dazai deemed that he was ' _in love at first sight_ ' with Yamazaki and persuaded her to a double suicide - in which the girl politely but sharply refused, much to Chuuya's pleasure.

He hated the other teen, with passion strong enough to wish his death in the cruelest way ossible, and seeing Dazai's face for almost every day (because he kept _flirting_ with his new underling) was driving him _insane_. Nakahara wanted to disown her due to the misfortune, namely Dazai Osamu, that she's brought with her but there were days that he didn't want to disown her.

Those days were when the suicidal maniac was off to a mission, Yamazaki wasn't being pushed around by Tachihara and Chuuya wasn't busy with his blooming wine business. Those days were when he can go all out into training the brunette girl.

* * *

It has been nearly two months since Chuuya picked up Yamazaki from the streets and he gauged that she's been doing well and adjusting well. She's gained a relative amount of weight, not too much and not too less but just enough for her height. Her face was a lot less pale from the first time he met her in the streets. Her endurance in using her ability was getting longer and longer. And her tongue was getting sharper every time Dazai is off to harass her with flowery words – Chuuya can't help but admit that he was _most_ proud of this improvement.

Her physical strength, however…. is a different matter.

They were in one of the many abandoned storage rooms in the basement of the second tower of the Port Mafia's building complex, situated at the heart of Yokohama. The lighting was relatively alright and the cemented floor was good enough to jump and run around without skidding and slipping to one's demise.

Yamazaki swung her fists towards Chuuya's right cheek, most of her power and focus was concentrated on that one fist. The curly-haired boy showed no intention of dodging and directly accepted her punch. It wasn't even enough to make him stagger back from his current position. "You call that a punch?" Chuuya mocked, "That was a mere flick on my face. It's as if you're killing a fly that landed on my cheek!"

The brunette gulped, sweat trickled along the sides of her face. Yamazaki could feel her lungs burning up; her head was light-headed from the lack of oxidation on her blood. Despite the dire situation she's in, Chuuya's words resounded on her ears, ' _Keep your guard up_ '. _I can't get distracted by his insults. Nakahara-san means well._ She said to herself and chanted in her mind _, I have to be stronger, stronger and stronger._

"This…" Chuuya started as he swiftly swung his fist towards Yamazaki's abdomen. She was a millisecond too late for her blocking arm didn't even have the chance to block his punch. "…is how you'd throw a punch!"

She was hit directly and severely on her abdomen. A wave of nausea tried to triumph over her but she forced herself to not embarrass herself further, especially not infront of her mentor. To be honest with herself, Tomie's been secretly looking forward to their training sessions because of some… _guilty pleasure_ she's been having. Whenever Chuuya throws her a punch or a kick that was strong enough to bruise her, the waves of pain delivered by that blow equates with waves of pleasure that she can't stop.

"Stand up, Yamazaki." Chuuya pulled her by the arm, hoisting the girl from her crumled form in the floor. She hung her head low, hiding the blush that decorated her face - which was courtesy of none other than her mentor. He grabbed her hand and closed it the way she did on her first punch, her thumb was inside her clasped fingers.

Yamazaki stared at her hand, then at her mentor, then back at her hand with confusion. Her blush was starting to dissipate as she blinked at her fist.

"When punching, don't put your thumb inside your clasped fingers, you'll dislocate your bones if you hit a lot harder or if you hit a very hard object." The petite boy told her then fixed her fist, her thumb on the outside of her other fingers.

"Y-Yes, sir." She nodded, mentally noting the tip her mentor just gave her. _Don't put the thumb inside your other fingers_. She repeated in her mind.

Chuuya smirked in an intimidating and sardonic way, "Still not running away?"

"I wish to be strong… I wish to be helpful to the mafia!" Yamazaki chanted to her mentor, perseverance and passion obviously burning on her gaze. "I will not run-"

The girl's statement was cut short as Chuuya delivered a terrifyingly hard blow on her right cheek, enough to send her flying to the floor. "Say that to me when you've improved your weak punches!"

Yamazaki's head was a lot more light-headed that before, white spots starting to form on her vision. A trail of warm liquid flowed from her temple, the one that accepted all the impact from her fall, to the side of her face. She hoisted herself up shakily, ignoring the blood trickling down her face; _you can't stop right now, Tomie,_ she said to herself and forced her heavy body to stand up.

"You're too easy even with those tonfas I gave you." Her mentor taunted, pointing at the metal rods that are strapped on her white pants. It was given to her when she told him that she needed something metal to conduct her electric currents. She wasn't aware that it can be used for that day's hand-to-hand combat and now she's being insulted for not using it. "Give it a purpose, Yamazaki, and don't just hold that shit!"

She reached for the metal rods and held it firmly, sparks of electricity now buzzing around her presence. "I… I will not run away!"

"You better not, brat!"

"I will have purpose in the mafia!"

"You better have! I risked my head to bring you in!"

"I will improve myself!"

"Say that as you hit me!" Chuuya screamed at her for motivation.

With her electric currents ready for release, Yamazaki nodded and moved towards her mentor with full force, "Yes, Nakahara-san!"

"Ah~" A middle man joined them, both stopping the two from using their respective abilities, "You guys are too noisy!" A playful voice said, sending shivers to the mentor-student tandem's spines.

"Dazai?!" Chuuya exclaimed in disgust. He wasn't ready to see his suicidal maniac of a partner and he's sure as hell that he's still not finished with his training session with Tomie. Of all the things the curly-haired boy hated about Dazai, one of those was that he's always there nosing around other people's business and involving himself in matters that aren't supposed to be involving him. Cite now, for example, "Who the hell invited you here?"

Yamazaki stood up straight and fixed her posture, a sign of respect to her superior, "G-Good afternoon, sir."

Dazai smiled at the brunette and went up to her, his arms extended outwards for a hug. "Good afternoon, too, Yamazaki-chan~" Her feet made contact with his chest, forcing Dazai to keep the distance between them. Chuuya promised himself that he'd give Tomie an appreciative pat on the head later because of that action. Dazai pouted at the resistance of Yamazaki but saw the state of the room. "Woah, you two _destroyed_ this room."

Chuuya pulled the collar of his partner's clothes, making sure that there was a huge gap in between the suicidal maniac and his student. "Get out, Dazai."

With one swift movement, Dazai was gone from Chuuya's hands and was immediately beside Tomie. "You look like you've been thrown around so much, Yamazaki-chan… Are your bones okay?" He asked her with sincerity, a hand resting on her mop of brown hair and the other on her wounded right hand. His thumb was softly massaging the upside of her hand, another ploy in being close to her by using skin-ship so she could ' _fall in love with him just as he did to her'_.

Yamazaki slapped his hand away in the least hostile manner she could muster. No matter what angle she looked at it, she can still be sharp and sassy towards him but she can't wholly disrespect him for he's still a superior, even higher up than Chuuya in the hierarchy of the Port Mafia. "I… I had a fracture on two of my ribs last two weeks ago but Ane-sama* said it's already fully healed when she checked me yesterday."

It was true. Whether it's some genetic mutation due to her ability or it was a natural occurrence on her genes, she was proud of her fast healing ability. Chuuya was amazed that even the bruises she'd accumulate during training would be nothing but a soft blotch on her skin just after a few hours and, depending on the depth of the bruise, she'd be as good as new after a day or two.

"Eh?!" Dazai exclaimed, the first time he's hearing that piece of information about Tomie, "You heal that fast? I'm envious!"

Chuuya had been ominously glaring at Dazai's back ever since he's put himself beside the curly-haired boy's apprentice. "Oi, Dazai, I will crush your skull if you don't leave."

Dazai ignored Chuuya and continued to coo Tomie with his concern. "Say, Yamazaki-chan, if Chuuya ever bruise you or fracture your bones again, come to me, okay?"

Yamazaki blinked in confusion at the mafia executive's sudden suggestion. She's got a feeling that it's another one of his flowery pick-up lines but curiosity won over her from keeping her questions to herself, "Can I-I ask why?"

"I'll kiss you better-"

"Get away from my student, you pedophile!" With a hard kick from behind his head, Chuuya cut off Dazai's statement and dragged the unconscious suicidal executive outside the room. "Go get your own student to drool over!" He screamed in fury, closing the door of the destroyed abandoned room.

"He's… as lascivious as ever, Nakahara-san." She said cautiously - a frown etched on her face. Dazai was a person to behold. He was an open-book and a mysterious person at the same time. He's happy-go-lucky and he's serious at the same time. A man of contradictories but there is one true trait that makes Dazai who he is, his ruthlessness when it comes to his enemies. Just as the saying goes, ' _the misfortune of Dazai's enemy is to become Dazai's enemy_ ' Tomie could only fear for her life if he loses interest in her and she might accidentally become enemies against him.

Chuuya rolled his eyes uninterestedly, "If he harasses you like that again, make sure to kick him hard in the nuts."

The statement tickled Tomie's funny bone but she stopped herself from laughing her ass off. It was disrespectful to Dazai and it was an embarrassing sight to show her mentor. A suppressed 'pffftt…' was heard from Tomie, her hands clasped infront of her mouth from keeping herself giggling like a little girl.

"You can kick harder than you throw a punch, right?"

"Y-Yes, Nakahara-san!"

"Demonstrate it to me-" Chuuya stopped mid-sentence as he caught Yamazaki's leg that swung towards his... _private part._ She was aiming at the place he told her to kick _Dazai, not him,_ and it infuriated the petite mafia that his guard was low enough that her kick _almost_ hit him. "You idiot, not in between my legs!" He scolded, twisting Tomie's leg, making her fall to the floor once again.

"I'm s-sorry! OWWW!" She screamed because Chuuya applied pressure to her twisted leg. It stung her but not enough to send pleasure through her spine. She was thankful for that and she decided to explain her actions, "I-I thought you w-were asking me to demonstrate what I'll… what I'll do if D-Dazai-san ever harass me again!" Her mentor merely rolled his eyes and applied more pressure to her poor leg. Tomie slapped the cemented floor in pain continuously, screaming in agony, "I GIVE! I GIVE! MERCY! MERCY, NAKAHARA-SAN!"

What the curly-haired teen didn't know was that his student was blushing so hard and as red as a tomato and that one more push could've driven her crazy with pleasure. Much to his misfortune and ignorance to the situation, he applied one more push to her leg, almost to the point of breaking it when he heard Yamazaki… _moan in pleasure?_ "AAHHH~"

Chuuya freaked out at the reaction, letting go of his student's limb. "O-Oi, what…?!"

"Hgnnhh..," Tomie hoisted herself up from her fallen state, panting heavily, perspiration trickling on the sides of her face once again. "I-I'm sorry…" She wanted to slap herself, embarrassed at the improper act she just did. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, Tomie!_ The brunette internally scolded herself, _you are an idiot!_

With his right eye twitching from the weird thing Yamazaki did, he shrugged off the topic and decided to just threat the girl with it. "Don't you dare do _that_ again or I will disown you, Yamazaki!"

"Y-Yes, Nakahara-san! I'm sorry!"

Chuuya sighed, concluding that Yamazaki's display of weirdness was the result of being too over-fatigued. "Let's stop for today. My mood was spoiled by that prissy asshole." He told her, partially telling the truth and partially lying. "Let's eat out. I doubt Ane-san* made us dinner since she's preparing for her next mission in the West."

A smile decorated her slightly tired bloody face, a sparkle in her eyes as the thought of free food plagued her mind. "Your treat, Nakahara-san?"

"You're broke, duh."

* * *

 **A/N:**

I am _retracting_ my previous statement that this will be a _Dazai x OC story_. I've thought about it and perhaps I'll be _adding a third party in between Dazai and Tomie_ so please look forward to that and thank you for reading and for the continuous support, my fellow stray dogs!

*Ane-sama/Ane-san is the new character in season two, _Ozaki Kouyou_! Apparently, that's what most of the Port Mafia members call her. If I'm not mistaken, Dazai once called her that in the manga, too!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review, or follow or favorite this story if you enjoyed it~


	3. Pt1, Ch2: The Angelic Apprentice, Not

PART 1: THE GOOD  
CHAPTER 2  
[The Angelic Apprentice... Not]

* * *

The hallways echoed with ominous footsteps, mutters and mumbles can be heard from the doors. Men with guns and knives patrolled the perimeter. Such as the usual protocol within one of the buildings in the Port Mafia's complex. Yokohama's Port Mafia wasn't just an unruly bunch of thugs with abilities, power and money.

It was a far more complex organization that directed the currents of Yokohama's politics and economy. They can either continue to let Yokohama flourish in darkness or crush it mercilessly.

Five buildings that soared through the heights of the skies were dedicated as the base of operations of these mafiosi. Inside the structures housed the different valuable artifacts gathered through shady transactions, the spaces to train and up the skills of the people working for them and the offices used for money laundering and such. The building complex of the mafia, sitting at the heart of Yokohama, wasn't a place for children.

However, a duet of _'jan-ken-poi'*_ was heard from room four-thirteen, which was soon followed by a cheerful yelp and a scream of protest. This has been going on for about an hour now. The sentries protecting the said room could only sigh at the things they have heard from the room. It was, in fact, torture to begin with. Two of the youngest members of the mafia, aside from the boss' daughter, were inside. They have been left alone together and had been playing the said game ever since. (*Rock-paper-scissors)

Inside the room sits two young teens. Tachihara Michizo, a candidate for being Black Lizard's commanding officer at such a young age, and Yamazaki Tomie, Nakahara Chuuya's promising subordinate. It was noticeable that both of their right forearms were decorated with various vandalisms that the other had written.

It was the challenge of the game. Given that you lose in the game of jan-ken-poi, the opposing person gets to write or draw anything they desire, as long as it is within five strokes.

Yamazaki's forearm was decorated with a few writings and drawings. There was an obscenely _phallic_ body part, a collection of name-calling and an _ai-ai gaza*_ of her alias and Dazai's name under the parasol. The last one had Yamazaki reaching for her tonfas and attempted to electrocute the red head to death – until he cocked up his semi-automatic pistol against her chest, forcing the girl to retreat back to her seat with a string of uncensored mumbling. She was getting good at insults and bad words, thanks to her mentor's not-so-clean vocabulary.

 _(*Ai-ai gaza: A drawing of a parasol where one puts two names underneath it, showing that the bearer of those names were a couple or a 'ship'. It's similar to the American 'sweetheart carvings' in trees like in the movies.)_

On Tachihara's arm was an assortment of insults, a lot of stick drawings of him dying under very unfortunate situations and a huge writing of ' _DIE'_ was in the middle of his wrist. Yamazaki deemed her 'masterpiece' is as good as the hieroglyphs seen in Egyptian temples. The boy tried to punch her for the useless comment - only to have his arm nearly ripped off his shoulder with a martial art move that the girl have learned the day prior. He must admit that Nakahara's been pushing her to her limits because her improvement from the first day he met her was steadily triumphing up the charts.

The duo held up their fists against each other and sang, 'jan-ken-poi'.

Yamazaki yielded scissors.

Tachihara yielded paper.

The brunette laughed maniacally, hand reaching up to the blue permanent marker beside her. "I win again, Tachihara-kun!" She declared, an ear-splitting grin and a predatory expression decorated her face as she looked up at the red head.

"Damn it!" He cursed. The ratio of his wins to her wins was one to eight and he wasn't getting any more confident as they continued the game.

"You arm, your aaaaarm~" Yamazaki chanted, wriggling her fingers in a mocking manner. With the boy hesitating to give in, the brunette reached out for his right hand and pulled at it. She bit the cover of her marker and opened it in an unlady-like manner, preparing herself for revenge.

The red head sighed in annoyance, he just seem to never win against her. He felt the cold wet tip of the permanent marker touch his forearm as Yamazaki started drawing, "Just, how many— D-Don't draw a peni…" He faltered, seeing that the girl wasn't anywhere close to stop drawing the extremely phallic object that also decorated her arm. "Ugh. You immature shit." Tachihara was itching to shoot her dead but he doesn't have the guts to go in contradiction of _the Nakahara Chuuya of the Port Mafia_. That's suicide waiting to happen.

"Says you!" She said, bitterly waving the matching drawing that he had put on her skin a few wins ago infront of his face. Yamazaki stuck out her tongue, "Bear that for the whole duration of your mission today! Hirotsu-san's going to be pissed with you!" She said with pure malice and amusement on her tone.

Upon the realization that his boss wasn't too pleased on the stupid-and-explicit-things-teenagers-do-these-days, Tachihara buried his face on his hands as he lamented his possible death. "Oh god, Gramps is gonna _kill me_ if he sees this!"

"Ahem." _Speak of the devil_ , Yamazaki thought to herself. The man in question, Hirotsu Ryurou, had come in room four-thirteen without the two teens' knowing. He stood over the duo, Tachihara immediately lowered his sleeve to hide the phallic drawing and Yamazaki smiling up at the older man. She greeted him with a humble bow and a polite 'good afternoon, Hirotsu-san'.

Yamazaki was quite respectful of the Black Lizard's commander. She saw the image of her grandfather in him. He was silent, filled with reprimands but that's what made him grew into the brunette. Her grandfather was the only sane person who'd be nice enough to treat her like a normal human being. Always looking out for her and always telling her the right and wrongs in the correct and patient way. Hirotsu was somewhat like that, minus the bloodthirsty tendencies to kill everyone and everything on his way.

The man turned to the brunette, speaking to her in his usual formal manner, "Yamazaki, Dazai-dono had asked me to bring you to the fourth tower."

 _Dazai-dono._

 _Da-za-i._

 _Dazai._

 _D_

 _A_

 _Z_

 _A_

 _I_

The name echoed on Tomie's mind. The alarms in her head started sending distressing signals all at once. Her mentor's warnings resounded on her brain. ' _Should he do anything to bring you in a secluded place, run for your life if you want to preserve your innocence._ ' He had once told her while in the middle of training. She asked him why, even if she already know what he meant, and he merely shrugged the topic of. Chuuya was hesitant and jumpy when she tried to pry him open with the concrete reason of his worry – much to the liking of the girl.

To Tomie, it became an indicator that she should heed her mentor's warning, no matter what circumstance.

Now, however, was a tight situation. It was as if the brunette was caught in between a rock and a hard place. She knew Hirotsu never takes a 'no' for an answer and she knew that Chuuya wasn't joking with his warning. The girl could only gulp at the thought of what is to come. She asked meekly, her face paling every second at the thought of her impending doom. "I-Isn't that his domain?"

"Yes."

She groaned in annoyance. _Damn it,_ Yamazaki inwardly thought. It was only her second month in the organization and already, she is seeing the interior of her coffin. Tomie knew it was a bad thing. Even though she has faced death a hundred times, dying without properly repaying Nakahara's charity work for her was a huge disappointment on her part. Remembering Chuuya's position in the mafia, she made up a desperate excuse. "N-Nakahara-san told me I'm not supposed to go there without him!"

"I know you're wary of Dazai-dono…" Hirotsu sighed. Indeed, Yamazaki had every right to be anxious around the young executive. Dazai's clinginess to the girl was almost to the point of harassment, if Hirotsu was to be asked about his say in the matter. The veteran is aware, however, it wasn't his business to reprimand the boy of his actions – especially since Dazai _is his superior_ , as much as that sounds ludicrous. "He's been very... _flirtatious_ around you, as he is with every other woman, but this is an urgent matter."

Yamazaki rolled her eyes. She must admit, he's nice and handsome but he's just really… _touchy_. The brunette thought that she might not have minded his clinginess, had his abilities not been 'No Longer Human'. It was a troublesome power, especially for a combative member of the mafia like her.

There was a malicious whistle from Tachihara. She glared at him as the red-headed boy sling his arm at her shoulders, pinching her cheeks in a mocking manner. "Oho~ I didn't know you're _sleeping_ with the big ones now, Yamazaki."

She blushed at Tachihara's implications but decided to feign ignorance. "I'm not sleeping with Dazai-san, Tachihara-kun. I _sleep_ alone." She said, stating her point proudly, ignoring the underlying meaning to the boy's words. With those words, she stood up and picked up the fedora and tonfas that Chuuya had given her a few weeks prior.

The boy laughed at her 'stupid' reply but Hirotsu interrupted him before Tachihara can mock the girl once more. "Let's go, Yamazaki." He insisted, staring piercingly at the hesitant girl. "It is rude to keep Dazai-dono in wait."

"I'm off…" Yamazaki dejectedly said, all of the cells in her body forcing and warning her to _not_ follow Hirotsu and _his_ orders to bring her to Dazai's domain. The brunette secured her tonfas on the straps on either side of her legs and checked her pistols at the straps on either side of her chest that she had both crafted for safety purposes. She bit her lip and shoved her right hand on her pants pocket. _I hope I get out of there alive._ Yamazaki wore the fedora and tipped it forward to hide her face, in which Tachihara laughed at her ' _unsightly display of trying to act mature'_. Yamazaki decided to ignore such childish jests and followed Hirotsu out of the room.

* * *

It was a long walk. From the second building to the fourth was too much to handle for her fragile heart. She clawed at the bottom hem of her shirt in anxiety. Yamazaki felt as if she's awaiting her punishment, even though she ( _probably_ ) hasn't done something that will anger the young executive.

She shivered at the cold touch of the tiled floor when they entered the building. At that moment, the elder man noticed her bare feet. Hirotsu droned on about her getting all sorts of viruses and diseases if she kept not wearing any shoes or slippers. The brunette drowned out his voice. The thoughts of anxiousness are still plaguing her mind as they neared their destination.

Hirotsu and her walked up the metal mezzanine platform that leads to Dazai's secluded office in the building. Upon closing in to their endpoint, she heard voices echo in the hallways. The brunette felt a shiver run up her spine at the subject they are discussing. _I sometimes forget that the other mafia businesses are not as shallow as my jobs;_ she cringed at the graphic image she is imagining at the topic of the voices. Not too long after a few more steps, Yamazaki saw two figures. The taller one was obviously the man of interest, Dazai Osamu, and the smaller of the two, clad in an ominous black coat, seemed like he was the suicidal maniac's subordinate.

When the mafia executive looked at them, the brunette removed her fedora and placed it infront of her chest, a habit that she picked up from her mentor. "Dazai-san! G-Good afternoon." She bowed, blushing as she stuttered accidentally. _Damn it_ , she cursed inwardly. Yamazaki put back the hat from her head and, without her knowing, Hirotsu merely bowed at Dazai and left them.

"Oh, Yamazaki-chan!" She flinched at the use of the honorific. It was one of Dazai's _habits_ that she can never get used to, even at the span of two months that she had known the young adult. He smiled at her - a smile that made her pale ten times than she already is. "You're looking so fine and pretty today. I like your hat, your choices are a thousand times better than Chuuya's."

The girl forced herself to not laugh at his ignorance. It was, in fact, Chuuya who has chosen and given the hat to her. "Thank you, Dazai-san." Yamazaki nodded politely but also, covertly, malevolently. She looked at him straight with his dark brown irises, eyes burning with the emotion of sarcasm. "However, I'd like to tell you that Nakahara-san was the one to give this to me."

Dazai laughed an amused laugh, patting her head then he bowed to her eye level. He placed his index finger infront of his lips and winked at her, "Shush, small detail." He was a lot taller than her, being a hundred and eighty one centimetres while Yamazaki is a mere hundred and forty centimetres. Yamazaki noted that she would need to become taller if she wishes to covertly spite him, a mission that implanted on her head due to Chuuya's constant insults at the man.

Realizing the weight on her head, she screamed, "AH, YOU TOUCHED ME!" She immediately shrugged off his hand from herself. In panic, the girl tried to use her powers but to no avail. Yamazaki pouted, crocodile tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She glared at the now smirking Dazai. "I have an _excursion_ later, Dazai-san…"

He brushed off her protests, deeming that she looked _too cute,_ and introduced the girl to his subordinate. "Yamazaki-chan. I'd like to introduce you to my subordinate, Akutagawa Ryuunosuke." Dazai said with a smile. "Akutagawa-kun, this is Yamazaki Tomie-chan. She's the one I always tell you about!"

Yamazaki looked at Akutagawa. His eyes were as black as the darkness of the night. His skin tone was as pale as the snow. His small slender stature stood tall and proud, ominously intimidating the brunette. Even though she noted that he doesn't have any eyebrows, Yamazaki knew she'd have to save the laughs for later because he looked _pissed_. And she was certain that she wouldn't appreciate triggering a pissed-off mafia member.

Plus, the amount of threats that came from other members regarding the young teen was too much to ignore. A lot of the senior members were wary of Akutagawa, even going as far as calling him a name. The _'Silent Rabid Dog of the Mafia'_. Rumors were said that he doesn't talk much but his actions speak louder than words, actions that prove his heartlessness and brutality. Who's to say that Yamazaki is an exception to the fear that Akutagawa spreads within their organization?

Gulping at Akutagawa's piercing stare, Yamazaki stuttered a reply, "P-Pleased to meet you." She said, forcing herself to keep eye contact to not seem overly-shy. Chuuya had told her to get out of her shell and talk to other members while keeping eye contact. He deemed that it was necessary so she wouldn't be preyed upon as the _weak girl_.

The boy clad in the black coat merely clicked his tongue with a loud 'tch' and a roll of his eyes. Yamazaki twitched, in both intimidation and annoyance, at his cold response. _What a snob_ , she mentally noted then proceeded to agree on his decision to ignore her presence. The brunette hypothesized that if:

[A] Akutagawa takes interest on her, he would either, 1) make her his play toy and torture her to no ends, like what Dazai is doing, or 2) use her as a slave to satisfy his, _possible_ , sadistic traits.

[B] Akutagawa gets pissed off by her mere presence, he would either, 1) kill her instantly or 2) kill her slowly with the intention of murdering her soul or 3) torture her to ( _again_ ) satisfy his, _possible_ , sadistic traits.

[C] Akutagawa deems her unworthy of his time, he'd leave her alone and she's free to do her own bidding while staying in the Port Mafia.

Of course, the last option was her ideal situation - in which she was praying that that's the case.

"Sir, it's me." A man in the usual tux approached the suicidal executive, bowing in respect for Dazai before handing over a red envelop.

The bandaged teen took the said envelop with seriousness, his eyes glazing over at the sight of the papers. Yamazaki deemed it was important enough that it was the first time she had seen Dazai with a grave expression. She knew he's capable of being serious but she was not expecting him to be _this_ serious. It was… refreshing and alluring at the same time. The girl didn't anticipate seeing such a solemn mien from the boy who kept harassing her childishly.

"You two, please stay outside for a while."

Irritated by the fact that her fear was abruptly interrupted, she complained with a childish pout on her face, "I just got here and you're pushing me out your office?"

Dazai's serious face distorted into a dark expression, a predatory smirk made its way on his lips. "Would you rather have me lock you up here?" He walked towards her slowly, his shoes dragging across the cold pavement in a way that made the brunette's heart drop each time he steps closer to her. "I have a lot of toys we can play with~ What do you want? Whips? Chains? Guns?" The mafia executive offered, his hedonistic voice sending shivers up her spine.

Yamazaki knew he didn't want to ' _play'_ with such weapons... _more than that_. Even at such an early age, the girl had an idea of what he wants and she's not going to let him.

"No." She firmly said, stepping back to avoid his hands that were already making its way to grab her shoulders. The newcomer crossed her arms, "Nakahara-san said I should avoid being in a secluded space with just you and me!" She exclaimed. Upon seeing that Dazai's apprentice had perched himself on the edge of the mezzanine platform, she pointed at the coughing boy, "I'll be sitting here with Akutagawa-san."

Dazai chuckled at her hesitation, "Good girl." He reached out to pat her head once again but the girl immediately ducked under his trajectory,

"No touching, Dazai-san!" She frowned at the suicidal teen and sat beside the boy in the black coat. The ravenet, only laughing at her response, went in his office with the man who delivered the envelop. Uncomfortable silence came to the hallways when Dazai closed the door to his office.

Yamazaki didn't know what to say to Akutagawa. She wasn't even looking at him but she can feel his gaze upon her figure. The brunette had that inkling that the pale boy doesn't have many friends at all, what with the ferocious glare and mysterious black cloak that looks like it could kill.

After finally mustering up the courage to look at him straight in the eye, she asked the most interesting question she's had after hearing so many rumors about Akutagawa from Tachihara and the few members of the Port Mafia that she has worked with, "So you're… void of all emotions?"

"No." Akutagawa replied in his deep voice. Yamazaki was thoroughly surprised that he'd reply, after he had rolled his eyes and ignored her at her introduction. He merely looked away and stared at the wall opposite the mezzanine, once again ignoring the girl. He raised his hand infront of his mouth in attempt to cover his coughing.

She stared at him for a full minute, almost forgetting that he's a dangerous teen who can kill her at his will. His eyelashes weren't short nor long but it curled up to a gorgeous angle. His pale skin was flawless and the gradation of his hair from black to white was astoundingly miraculous to look at. His eyes conveyed a mix of irritation and… hesitation? Yamazaki was unsure of what she perceives with her eyes in his expression but she's certain of one thing.

 _Akutagawa looks angelic._

To her, there's no doubt about if the other members call him a ' _rabid dog'_ or the ' _devil'_ , Yamazaki saw a side of him that he possibly wasn't aware he's displaying.

With this new assumption in mind, Chuuya's apprentice smiled at him. "I heard Dazai-san's a terrifying teacher even if he's very comical on the outside." She stated casually, trying her best to help him open up to her, even just a bit. The brunette felt as if Akutagawa was that kind of person who's hard to pry open but once she's got his trust, he'd show her all kinds of colors inside him that hides beneath the darkness of his coat. A hopeful spark was evident on her eyes as the thought of being friends with him and proving everyone in the mafia wrong motivated her. She asked him, "Does he beat you up just like how Nakahara-san does to me?"

Akutagawa looked at her with a disgusted expression and scooted away from the sparkly eyed girl. "I refuse to answer your idiotic questions."

She looked at the wall opposite them and closed her eyes, remembering her training regimen with her mentor, Chuuya, and his words of encouragement to her, "You know, Nakahara-san beats me up too but he just does that because he said that since I'm used to being beaten up when I was a child, I should endure the pain better."

The boy decided to not say anything but her words weren't getting blocked out, no matter how hard he tried. _How can she casually tell him that she was abused back at her home?_ He can't even tell Dazai, the young executive who he has been with for more than three years now, a single thing about his hardships in the slums then suddenly, here comes Yamazaki, a mere acquaintance after fifteen minutes, and she's already trusting him about her history.

The black-haired boy looked at her unconsciously as she continued, "Someone else's punch will be a mere flick for me soon because Nakahara-san's one hell of a beast." Yamazaki made eye contact with him once again. "You know, I'm very curious about your power, Akutagawa-san." She changed the topic, seeing that Akutagawa wasn't anywhere near telling her a snippet of his life.

"You'd like me to show you?" The teen stood up, towering over her. He was emitting some sort of dark energy as his clothes flowed without the help of the wind. She gulped in fear at his predatory aura, ready to tear her apart limb by limb. Akutagawa raised his hand, his coat following his actions. She scrambled off, putting much space in between them at the metal platform, to avoid being caught in his ability.

Yamazaki pulled her tonfas from the straps on her legs and stood her guard – after all, he might kill her any moment now. _Matter manipulation_ , she thought to herself at the scene of Akutagawa controlling his dark coat with his will. It was her first time witnessing such an ability but she knew marveling at his gift wasn't going to help her escape his murderous aura.

He smirked at her, knowing fully well that she's standing on her guard, what with the sparks of electricity buzzing from random parts of her body. Yamazaki gulped again. His slender stature stood proudly and malevolently, his eyes glazed with a predatory expression and his smirk was a mere cherry on top at the dangerous sundae called Akutagawa Ryuunosuke that's about to murder her horrendously.

 _Wait, why are you thinking about sundaes, Zheng?_ She scolded herself mentally; _there won't be any more sundaes for you if he kills you._ Akutagawa spoke, his hand raised up with authority and power, "I can easily slit your throat without batting an eyelash-"

Dazai appeared behind his subordinate, holding his wrist, and harbored a warning glance. "Don't you get cocky, Akutagawa-kun."

She put away her tonfas and straightened her posture. Yamazaki removed her hat, placing it infront of her chest once again.

Dazai gave out an apologetic smile at the girl. Yamazaki sensed a feeling of regret from the suicidal teen but she wasn't too assured if that's really the case. The handsome ravenet gave a stern glare at his apprentice; a threatening grin was decorating his face. "Akutagawa-kun, keep in mind that your useless power will be no match for Yamazaki's ability. Given that you are standing on a metal platform, she's barefooted, she's got her tonfas and you're only a few feet away from such a high voltage girl. You'll be _toast_ once her sparks fly." He let go of the _rabid dog's_ wrist in aforceful manner, "Well, seeing you burnt to ashes isn't that bad of a sight, to be honest."

"Tch." Akutagawa merely responded, "You didn't need to tell me that."

"Clicking your tongue disrespectfully won't cut it if you keep wimping and whining about every little thing that irritates you, you _special_ _snowflake_." Dazai enunciated the last part with dripping sarcasm then immediately changed his expression as he announced with a smile, "Ah, I have a mission for the two of you~"

"Will you not pat me in the head again if I say 'yes, I'll do it'?" Yamazaki inquired, somewhat relieved that the young executive seemed to return back to his cheerful self.

"These are direct orders from the boss. You can't refuse, Yamazaki-chan~" He said chirpily, walking up to her hastily, arms extended to give her a hug.

"N-No!" She stepped aside, careful to not bump against Akutagawa because she knew he's more than peeved at her – one more push and he might not control himself much longer. "Hands off, please. I'll die later if I don't have my ability…"

Dazai blinked when he had unintentionally hugged Akutagawa, making the teen blush at the accidental display of affection that wasn't even directed to him to begin with. His apprentice shoved him with a frown etched on his face. The suicidal mafioso shrugged and continued, "We have a delivery of the new guns and bombs shipped specifically from Switzerland. It'll have to be escorted by ability users because we've been tipped that a few… _thugs_ with special skills are keeping an eye on that package."

Yamazaki inquired, "Dazai-san, what will happen if, hypothetically speaking, the delivery gets mugged?"

"We lose three and a half million of revenue." Dazai replied casually, eyeing Akutagawa at the corner of his eyes. The said boy flinched but decided to not join in on the conversation, trying his best to suppress his coughing.

The girl attempted to count the zeroes in a million, only to surrender mid-way. She was never good in maths anyway. "That's a lot of money, right?" Yamazaki sheepishly smiled at Dazai, embarrassed at her display of illiteracy.

"Yes, Yamazaki-chan." He nodded, "Fifteen times the amount of your current monthly pay."

"So if Akutagawa-san and I fail, we'll be killed?"

"Eventually."

Akutagawa clicked his tongue, eyes blazing with hatred towards Yamazaki, "I won't fail."

"Oho~? I doubt that, Akutagawa-kun." Dazai mocked, his eyes once again glazing with ruthlessness. "Remember what you did yesterday?"

Yamazaki wasn't so sure if these two were actually a student-teacher tandem but Chuuya was never like this to her. Sure, she gets to hear him curse her but that was for motivation, not humiliation. Dazai seemed to be such a toxic and stressful teacher to his subordinate… however, she wasn't going to be too vocal with it, considering that if Akutagawa is learning and growing from it then so be it.

Dazai sighed at his apprentice's murderous expression, "This is why I've requested help from Yamazaki-chan. She's been showing exceptional skill ever since she's been escorting our supplies in and out of Yokohama."

"Well, I'll be off now." The ravenet said, putting his hands on his pants' pockets, "Expect the full detail of this mission by tomorrow morning. The schedule of our paper works has been completely disarrayed, thanks to the audit department."

Yamazaki snorted then blushed as the two boys looked at her with two different expressions. Dazai, betrayed; Akutagawa, irritated. She tried to force herself to not smile but the grin still broke out and she responded, "I hope you help with the paper works, then, Dazai-san."

The young mafia blinked at her and chuckled, happy that the girl is starting to talk to him casually, "Is that a plead of death that I hear? I'd be more than happy to die with you, Yamazaki-chan."

"I'm shutting up." She shook her head, the smile still decorating her face. "I'd like to keep my head intact, Dazai-san."

With one swift movement, Dazai had caged her in a tight embrace, his hand patting her head and caressing her hair affectionately. He smelled of roses, lavender and sweat, far different from his usual smell of alcohol. "Goodluck on your trip later~" He whispered to her ear flirtatiously, enough to make her gasp and blush as red as a tomato. Yamazaki was immobilized by his touch; her heart was hammering loudly against her chest.

 _W-What the hell is this?_ She asked herself, her mind racing at the possibilities as to why she's reacting as such. Dazai stopped embracing her but his hand stayed at her shoulders. Yamazaki blinked and made eye contact with the teen, in which he smiled and winked at her. He leaned in, giving her a quick kiss on the cheeks. After that, Dazai started walking away from them without anymore words.

 _Damn it._ She cursed inwardly. It was the third time that Dazai had tried to pull such a stunt just to give her a kiss in the cheeks. "NOT AGAIN!" She yelled at the retreating form of Dazai, who was lazily waving goodbye at them. Realization hit her as she tried to use her ability but to no avail. She groaned in agony, "Not again…"

She was pulled back from reality upon hearing Akutagawa cough. "What a waste of my time."

Yamazaki was about to speak to him but he beat her to it, grabbing her by the collar of her blouse. He pulled her closer to him in attempt to intimidate her more. The girl was starting to become uncomfortable at the closeness but what caught her attention was that attractive smell of his perfume. It was strong, a lot stronger than Dazai's, and enough to distract her from her current predicament of being pulled at the collar.

"Look here, _snowflake_." Akutagawa started, pulling her back from reality, "I don't care whether or not you're a _friend_ of Dazai-san but don't you try to fail in this mission." Akutagawa threatened, his eyes blazing with pure hatred.

The brunette shook her head, a frown etched on her face. "I don't intend to-"

"One screw up and I will skewer you like barbeque." He pushed her away. The teen looked away from her direction as he coughed. _Is he sick? He's been coughing since I got here._ She thought, mindlessly worrying about his health first than his threats. "Get out of my sight. Be happy that Nakahara-san picked you up because if you joined alone, I wouldn't have hesitated to kill you right here, right now."

Yamazaki decided to not answer him. _It was true._ She won't deny that fact. If Chuuya wasn't the one who picked her up, she would've been the target of bullying within the mafia. She might've been floating through the river by now, if not for Chuuya's power and authority in the mafia.

" _You're not even worthy to be here in the mafia in the first place, weakling."_

With those words, it triggered a switch within her. A switch that made her look at him with coldblooded eyes. She can accept his hatred but to go as far as calling her 'unworthy' infront of her face... _How dare he…_ "You dip-dye _melanophilic_ stingy pale-face."

Akutagawa heard her creative insult, his rashoumon ready to devour her at any moment. "What did you say?" He towered over her once again, figuratively and literally looking down at the smaller girl.

Without giving her ay time to respond, the boy's rashoumon attacked her from different angles in the span of a second. Yamazaki was lucky to have honed her reaction time with her mentor because she would've been kebab-ed at that instant. "People like you should just vanish in the face of the earth!" The girl pulled one of her pistols from the straps at either side of her chest, her tonfas ignored for the fact that Dazai had rendered her ability useless at the wrong time. Before she could pull the trigger, Akutagawa had cut the gun into two halves, making it completely useless. "Guns are the weapon of fools."

"Well, what do you expect me to do, huh?" She screamed at him, her blood starting to boil at the black-haired boy's unreasonable actions. "I can't use my fucking ability because of your mentor!" The brunette was suddenly pulled down at the cold metal platform, her wrists and ankles held down by Akutagawa's ability. It had her pinned down the floor with the teen looking down on her.

Yamazaki started to perspire with cold sweat, her heart once again hammering against her chest – but this time, for a different reason. "O-oi! Are you- Are you seriously trying to kill me?!" She asked him, a desperate smile graced her face and terrified tears streamed down from her eyes.

Akutagawa stared at her distressed state and with a monotonous voice, he said, " _Die, Yamazaki_."

* * *

 **A/N:**

Whew. Guess who's back from the graveeesss—Nah, just kidding. I'm just drowing in projects that I kept pushing aside just to write this long overdue chapter. Here's to hoping that chapter three won't be as late as this chapter.

 **ilivedx** : _thank you for thinking so that this is a good OC story! I'll do my best so Yamazaki won't be one of those OCs that are completely flat and uninteresting!_

 **VeraVera** : _this made my heart jump! Thank you for thinking that my writing style is cute, clear and clipped! To be honest, I'm not sure if my writing style is that good, seeing that I just write what I think? HAHAHA And I was hoping to keep Ryuu and the rest of them in-character so the story won't seem to be too forced. I hope I kept that in this chapter!_

Also, the reason I gave Akutagawa the nickname ' _Ryuu'_ was because Akutagawa is often called by his last name in the anime and rarely by his first name, which is sad – if you consider the Japanese tradition of calling people by their first names if, and only if, you're really close to that person. I thought it'd be funny that Yamazaki calls Akutagawa ' _Ryuu'_ , something that shows a part of their relationship in the future (somewhat a sneak peak but not totally spoilery.)

Anyways, I really hope I kept them in character! I'm doing my best to observe the characters' way of speaking and behaviors so please bear with me if they kind of _stray_ away from the canon stuff. I will do my best though!

If there're some things you'd like to tell me about the interactions, the grammar and other things, don't be shy to drop a review! I love reading your reactions to my stories so please give me feedback, okay?

Anyways, thank you to those who followed and added this to their favorites. I can't believe I'd receive such a huge amount of support at my first Bungou Stray Dogs fanfiction! I'll do my best so please keep on reading this story! Thank you everyone and until next update! Ciao ciao!


	4. Pt1, Ch3: The Bait

PART 1: THE GOOD  
CHAPTER 3  
[The Bait]

* * *

 _Trigger Warning: Mild Violence, Child Abuse (Please read at you own risk)_

* * *

Three days after Yamazaki's terrifying meeting with Akutagawa was the day she was appointed to the escort job that Dazai assigned to them. It was the dreaded day where she's going to prove herself to the boy in the black coat that she's worthy of staying in the mafia and that she's not a weakling who's going to die by his hands. She's going to make sure of that.

The only thing she's unsure about was her vision. Her left eye was bandaged shut because Akutagawa's rashoumon grazed the skin just above her right eyebrow down to the side of her temple, almost hitting her eyes. It left a huge wound that has yet to heal, despite her monstrous healing rate. Ozaki Kouyou told the brunette that she's not allowed to remove it until the older woman says so, which was two more days, much to Yamazaki's embarrassment. It was due to the fact that Dazai was more than happy to see that she's got a bandaged right eye, same as him, and deemed that they were meant to be a _couple_.

Other than that distressing thing with her superior, she was disoriented. Two times did Tachihara laugh at her for hitting a pole twice, three times did she punch the air during her training with Chuuya and four times she nearly died by falling down the stairs ( _"It was only two floors up and she didn't need to use the elevators"_ , Hirotsu reasoned out). It was an eventful three days for the young girl, all thanks to Akutagawa.

Yamazaki wasn't even sure how she escaped his mighty Rashoumon. All she could remember was hearing Dazai run back to them, his face distorted into a mixed look of surprise and disbelief. She could recollect his exclamation of 'eh?!' while he stared at the two apprentices.

A blush spread across Yamazaki's cheeks as she remembered her desperate act of salvation from death. It was her only logical solution if she didn't want to become impaled since doing so would also impale the boy. Her arms were wrapped around Akutagawa's strong shoulders in an embrace, the gap between their bodies were no more, her frantic wide eyes pleading for mercy at his surprised ones, the tip of her nose touching his, their lips narrowly missing each other's-

" _Quit blushing like a tomato, Yamazaki._ "

Her consciousness was pulled back to Chuuya's house with those unfeeling words. Yamazaki realized that she was sitting on the comfortable couch placed at the bay window of her mentor's study.

It was a Wednesday. _Paperwork day_ , as the brownish orange haired boy declared to her before. The day was dedicated for Chuuya to stay at home and do his paper works, with the permission of Mori Ougai of course, in a Dazai-free environment where he can play his classical music all he wants.

Beethoven's Sonata No. 9, the Kreutzer, was currently playing - if she's not mistaken. After almost spending time in the Port Mafia for more than two months, she had picked up on a lot of things about her mentor, including his love for music and hats.

Now, considering that Yamazaki is his subordinate now, she gets a free-pass to his huge mansion every Wednesday with the only condition of her studying her missed lessons from when she had stopped her schooling. Sometimes he'd let her borrow his prized books if he's content with the progress she's made. The brunette girl asked why and Chuuya only told her that he'd be humiliated to introduce her as his apprentice if she can't even memorize the poem ' _Soiled Sorrow_ '. It was her teacher's favorite poem from what she can gather.

"I said, quit _blushing_." He repeated at the lack of response from his student.

Her amber iris stared back at her mentor's blue ones with confusion. _Blushing?_ She thought to herself, her hands darted up to her cheeks. It was warm to the touch, obviously telling her that she is flushing. _Could he have known that she's accidentally thinking about hugging the Port Mafia's most fearsome assassin?_

The brunette saw the petit mafia sigh audibly, "If you're thinking about your previous stunt with Akutagawa, stop it."

 _Well, shit._

"I-I'm not." Yamazaki denied with a pout. She brought up the book she was reading, _Hell's Screen_ by some unknown author*, and decided to ignore her mentor. The characters on her book looked somewhat… _different_. (*Actual Author: Akutagawa Ryuunosuke; check this book out, guys, it's _amazing and horrifying at the same time_.)

"Your book is upside down."

"No, it's not…" Yamazaki tried to read the characters with pride but she wasn't even sure if the book is in Japanese anymore. Slowly, the girl let go of her ego and turned the book upside down, her mentor looking at her with amusement. "It is…" She dejectedly nodded.

Chuuya stood up from his chair and walked towards her. "Look, Yamazaki, that punk isn't going to kill you today, tomorrow or ever." He said to her with a kind smile, a smile that she rarely sees from her mentor. Whenever she'd go on jobs with him, he'd smirk mockingly or he'd grin like a wolf, taunting their targets. She wasn't sure what made him so… _nice_ around her. She can hypothesize that her mentor was never like that to others, only her. There was this unsettling feeling on her gut as to why he's so good to her but she shrugged it off. Yamazaki told herself that if she's going to trust someone unconditionally, it has to be Chuuya – he's the one who helped her after all.

"How would you know?" The brunette asked instead, her right brow furrowed in fake-doubt.

"I just know." The teen sat infront of her on the bay window couch, looking outside the sunny gardens.

Yamazaki stared at her mentor. He was handsome, she'd give him that, but the way his blue eyes complimented his brownish orange hair and pale skin tone made him look a hundred times more attractive than Dazai. The cream wall papers of his study and the Victorian-inspired furniture plus the rays of the sun going in from the tall windows made it look like he's from a painting.

 _A very beautiful painting_.

She smiled at the peaceful ambiance in Chuuya's study. If only things were like this in her house, she wouldn't have resorted to being a dog for the mafia. But that in itself was a blessing in disguise. She wouldn't have met Chuuya that night, if not for her wretched household that she had destroyed with her very own hands.

The boy looked at her warily, his eyebrows rising in inquiry. "What're you looking at, Yamazaki?" He would always be defensive whenever she's caught staring at him. And she's guilty to have always been staring at him at the most inopportune times. Tomie knew that he was cautious she'd fall inlove with him, (" _Over my dead body_ ", she once told Chuuya when he first opened up the discussion) much to the amusement of the girl. He told her that a few of his previous subordinates, who were girls around her age, always died for _his sake_ on dangerous missions – as if he _can't_ protect himself. Chuuya didn't want that to happen, not to her and not to any more girls, for he was so sick of the added paper works.

With a whole hearted laugh, she answered honestly, "You look like you're from a painting, Nakahara-san." The girl earned a chuckle and a pat on the head from Chuuya, something that he'd always do when he's amused or proud of her. She knew it was the former. He sat back to his seat, continuing his paper work.

Yamazaki went back to her book, wishing that she'd live a couple more years in the Port Mafia to savor peaceful moments like these with her mentor. The brownish orange haired boy was starting to grow so attached to her, if she's honest with herself.

 _He was like the brother she never had…_

* * *

Two teens walked side by side in the dim hallways of the third building. The taller of the two, a young teenage boy around the age of fifteen, had his hands raised behind his flock of red hair, a band-aid decorating the bridge of his nose. It was from a fellow high-ranking member who punched him square in the face with such force. The smaller of the two, a young teenage girl around the age of fourteen, had her hands nervously fiddling the hem of her black blouse, a bandage wrapped around her head that covered her left eye. It was from a fellow mafia member who had tried to murder her horrendously after their first meeting.

They were walking on their next destination, the car park where the car services are waiting for them. The two were assigned on different missions but they caught up with each other on the way and decided to go to the car park at the same time and at the same direction. It was tolerable for both of them, having to have gone on jobs together in a few instances. They were starting to form a partnership, something that's important to most combative members because it could save them from their imminent doom on the last minute.

The brunette girl, Yamazaki Tomie, was thinking about the person who gave her the wound on her left eye. She's off to an escort mission with Akutagawa and she knew that it does not bid well. With a horrified expression, she gave out a sudden scream of agony, "AARGHHH-!"

Calloused hands suddenly clasped on to her mouth, forcing her to stop screaming like a banshee. It was the red-headed boy, Tachihara Michizou. He was getting tired of the girl's unexpected outbursts; it was almost starting to become unsurprising. "Yamazaki, shut up or I will shoot you." He threatened, only to have the girl resist on his hold. "What is it now?!" Tachihara sighed exasperatedly as he released Tomie from his grip.

"I don't want to do this job." Yamazaki pouted and crossed her arms infront of her. "Akutagawa-san is going to kill me and this time, for real!"

"That's not going to happen, Yamazaki."

"You and Nakahara-san can keep on saying that but I-"

Yamazaki faltered as Tachihara pulled her to his side with great force. The girl bumped into his side and the boy earned an annoyed grunt from Tomie. She was about to scream her lungs out in reprimand to his actions when she noticed that a pole almost alarmingly hit her once again. The red-head laughed in a mocking manner, saying, "Watch it."

It has been three days since she got the bandage on her right eye but she's still disoriented, much to her annoyance. Blushing in embarrassment, the brunette looked away and started walking again. Tomie continued her statement, pretending that nothing happened, "You can keep saying that… but there's ninety-nine percent that I'll get murdered by him, one way or another."

"He won't… Dazai-san will definitely kill him if that happens. His affection for you isn't really a secret, you know?" The boy smirked at her, obviously taunting the girl. Tachihara never stopped mentioning her and Dazai's ' _relationship'_ given whatever opportunity it may be.

To Yamazaki, there was never anything in between them. Her mentor is Dazai's partner - begrudgingly, that is. He's a part of the executive team of the organization she's working for. That's all there is to it. She found no reason to make a big deal out of it. Tachihara on the other hand-

"If you let Dazai-san use you, you'd be up in the ranks immediately, you know?" He said to her with a malicious smirk. He's only a year older than her but his thoughts of lasciviousness never cease to astound Yamazaki.

To the girl, Michizou is an eccentric boy. His train of thoughts is as jumbled as a pile of leaves in the autumn. One time, he'd be showing her a new game in his portable play station and the next moment, he'd be giving her advice about sex. In which she'd never asked for and never thought about engaging in one, anytime soon – especially not to Dazai.

"I'm not interested in your crap, Tachihara-kun."

Tachihara slung his arms around her shoulders, a habit he's developed due to her 'short stature', as he'd like to put it mildly. Yamazaki knew he just likes someone to use as an armrest. "I'd bet ten thousand yen that you're probably the first girl who dared to hug Akutagawa-"

"I didn't do that out of randomness!" She defended. "It was the only logical solution that I thought of, if I wanted to live. Impaling me means he's risking it to impale himself also."

"Why would you want to hang out with that creep anyway?" He asked her, a frown etched on his face.

" _Creep_?" Yamazaki gaped at Tachihara with her eye. _Did he just call the man who almost killed me… a creep?!_ She inwardly exclaimed, knowing that if the boy continues to run his mouth like this, he will surely die in Akutagawa's hands.

"Yeah." He simply nodded, "Him and that bastard Gin. Those two always creeped me out."

The brunette haven't met this 'Gin' person but she's pretty sure that those two wouldn't be happy to hear him talk shit about them behind their backs. "Maybe they're just misunderstood." She told him, carefully picking out her words.

Akutagawa _is_ , from what she's seeing. Perhaps the way Dazai is teaching him is just generally making Akutagawa very stressed? She had such thoughts when she was being abused back at her home but she never had the guts to talk back to her parents – doing so would incur more anger on her parents and more pain for her.

The red head shook his head, not amused at her defense. "Yeah, right." He removed his arm from her shoulder and put both hands at the back of his head. Tachihara looked forward, more than a dozen black cars were parked on the Port Mafia's car park, "We're here. I'm going this way, goodluck on your job." He told her as he pointed towards the right side of the room.

"You, too." She nodded then sighed, "Please pray for my soul."

"I'm atheist, Yamazaki. I don't do prayers."

"Oh, right."

* * *

The ride to the Port of Yokohama was awkward. Yamazaki was seated at the back of the car while Akutagawa called shotgun ( _he didn't_ , Yamazaki merely assumed to take the seat in the back since he's the one in charge between them). The brunette can feel his heated gaze at her, from the front mirror, throughout the whole time while they were waiting to arrive in the port. She could only pray to the gods in the heavens that he would keep his cool and not murder her while they were on the way.

By the time they got to the said port, Yamazaki mustered up the courage to talk to the ravenet. She figured that she's not going to be some fish out of water if she's going to make this job work. After all, Chuuya didn't pick her up from the alleyway for her to keep to herself.

She's been on missions with him and the man wasn't wasting his good looks for nothing. Chuuya was very confident of his abilities, that much is obvious. His authority can be seen and felt by those in his near vicinity, despite him being only seventeen years old.

He became her beacon of hope, a teacher to show her more of the world and a brother she never had. Yamazaki aspires to become like her mentor in a lot of ways… but the first hurdle is talking to someone _so_ dangerous, like Akutagawa.

"T-The breeze is re-refreshing, isn't it?" She gave out a nervous smile, hoping that the boy would reply. He merely looked at her with uninterested dark irises, embarrassing the girl in more ways than one. The brunette blushed in humiliation; however, she isn't the one to easily give up. Not when she knows that Akutagawa needs a friend. "A-Akutagawa-san, you don't talk much, do you?"

He looked away from her, coughing, and continued walking to the rendezvous point, "I'd rather not waste my energy on such trivial things."

 _HE REPLIED TO ME!_

Hiding her joy upon hearing his reply, she smiled again, this time with much glee and happiness from that one sentence she had forced out of him, "You talk normally when Dazai-san is around, though?" She said, hurriedly running beside him as he walked. Her mood made a 360-degree turn, the hope of at least being friends with him once again fresh on her mind.

Akutagawa gave her a look before a man walked towards them. The man bowed in respect for the ravenet, greeting him with a mix of fear and reverence, "Akutagawa-sama… and uhm…" He gave Yamazaki a confused look, as if asking why she's there on a _private_ mafia rendezvous.

"This is Yamazaki Tomie, Nakahara-san's subordinate." Akutagawa simply said to the disoriented man. Yamazaki could swear her only functioning eye was sparkling from his brief introduction. It was the first time she had felt so happy that another person, other than her mentor, was introducing her to someone of importance to their businesses. However, he coughed slightly then continued monotonously, "She's my dog for the day."

 _Dog for the day._

 _Dog._

 _For._

 _The._

 _Day._

Those words echoed in her mind like a broken vinyl record. It wasn't processing on her mind. _Did I heard wrong?_ She asked herself, _I… don't think I did?_ Blinking in disbelief at the insult she had heard, the girl could only exclaim a loud 'h-hah?!' at his words.

"Ah, Yamazaki." The man nodded at her with such disregard, adding fuel to her insulted pride. _Why is Akutagawa-san's name with an honorific and not mine?_ Yamazaki wanted to wallow in self-pity upon realizing that not many of the men in the mafia will be willingly regard her as a fellow comrade.

Sure, there are instances where she'd need protection from the men (namely Chuuya and Tachihara) but she's also capable of helping them in combat. Her physical strength may still need a lot of work, as said by Chuuya, but she knows that her ability is much needed by the mafia to protect their goods. However, that still doesn't sit well with most of the male members.

They didn't understand why a girl, much less a fourteen year old teen, would be helping them with their businesses. _These damn misogynistic idiots._ She thought to herself, glaring at the man talking to Akutagawa.

The thought of Akutagawa being a misogynist crossed her mind but immediately dismissed it. She knew and saw how he treated everyone. It's as if he's made enemies with the whole universe. Men or women, he's got no prejudice in which gender. He _hates_ everyone.

She was brought back to reality when Akutagawa spoke again, motioning towards the boxes being unloaded from the cargo ships. "These are the deliveries, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir."

"No damages? No discrepancies on the amount of supplies? No spies trying to sneak in?" Akutagawa asked, his voice lacking the usual hatred and antipathy.

"Nothing, sir."

"Good. Load them in the trailers. I want it done in thirty minutes."

Yamazaki marveled at the sight. The last time she stared at him at the metal mezzanine platform, Akutagawa seemed _angelic_. In this moment, however, he looked _human_ \- a normal human being talking to another human being. She imagined him _smiling_ , like a normal human being. She imagined him _crying_ , like a normal human being. She imagined him _blushing_ , like a normal human being.

When the man left the two of them from their position, Yamazaki smiled at him genuinely, "You're pretty nice and civil, Akutagawa-kun."

He eyed her, seeking for any ulterior motives as to why she said that statement. He found none. "I only act civil towards civil people… you on the other hand…" Akutagawa smirked at her, seeing that her look of joy turned into a sour expression in a matter of seconds.

" _Damn_ , you've got a huge attitude." Yamazaki mumbled softly, unaware that the ravenet was closely listening to her.

"So as you." He piped in, the smirk never leaving his face. _He heard that?!_ Yamazaki stared at him with wide eye, fearful that he might blow a fuse if she continues to antagonize the boy. "Patrol the perimeter," He ordered, "I want no disruptions in this job. If you see suspicious people, kill them upon sight-"

A bullet ran in between the two teens, narrowly missing Akutagawa's head. Yamazaki felt a sharp pain sear through her cheeks and warm liquid streaming down her face. Her hand shot up the wound, confirming that she got grazed by the bullet.

Tomie noticed that Akutagawa's cheek was also wounded, just like hers. "A-Akutagawa-san!" She exclaimed in panic, reaching for her handkerchief and mindlessly dabbing the cloth to his cheek. The boy slapped away her hand but he took the handkerchief from her, keeping pressure on his face.

"Shoot them."

"But I think they're-"

"I said _kill_ suspicious people on sight." He growled at her, pulling the gun from the holster on the side of her chest. "Like this!" Akutagawa aimed at the man who assaulted them and shot him straight in the head.

Horrified at the scene, Yamazaki exclaimed a shrill scream, "N-No!"

"No?" The ravenet mimicked her with a mocking tone.

The brunette gulped, looking away from the suicide maniac's apprentice with a teary eye. "I'm…"

He roughly pulled her closer, hands gripping on her collar, "Didn't I tell you that I'm going to kill you if you become a burden in this mission?"

"You did but-"

"I am a man of my word, Yamazaki." Akutagawa said to her, his voice filled with malice. It sent shivers down Yamazaki's spine. His face looked as if he's ready to unleash his demons and to drag her sorry ass to the gates of hell. "One more resistance and your head is _mine_."

She tried to resist against his iron grip, "B-But Akutagawa-san!"

He shoved her to the ground, making the girl fall on her rear. Yamazaki can feel his murderous aura emanating from Akutagawa's glare. "Soft-hearted people like you shouldn't be in the way of the mafia."

She kept quiet, knowing that one more word of resistance from her might send her an immediate ticket to hell. Akutagawa squatted beside her crumpled figure on the ground, his eyes filled with prejudice, "Rethink your job, Yamazaki. This isn't a place for _weaklings_ like you."

There it is; that one insult that turns on all of her hatred to the man. She wasn't weak. Had she been a frail and scrawny kid, Chuuya wouldn't have picked her up from the streets and she wouldn't have been alive after two months in the mafia. She would never let Akutagawa kick and push her aside as if she's… a pathetic little girl not worthy of being called a member of Yokohama's fearsome Port Mafia.

 _I'm not a weakling._

 _I'M NOT A WEAKLING._

Mirroring his heated glare, Yamazaki growled at the ravenet, enunciating each word with dripping revulsion, "I'm _not_ a weakling."

"Prove it."

" _I will._ "

* * *

Yamazaki walked in a dangerously calming pace as she looked around the perimeter. With a tonfa on her right hand and a gun on the left, she stood in the middle of the cemented field of the port, waiting for her prey to jump on the bait. Akutagawa's words were echoing on her mind. It sent her to blind rage, now wanting to prove her strength by killing each and every one of their enemy.

Her eye caught slight movement around the water tanks, a man's head peeked out and he pointed a gun directly at her. Lazily aiming her pistol, she pulled the trigger twice, both hitting the man in the head. _One_ , she counted.

Another man ran towards her, a knife in hand. She shielded herself from the knife using her tonfa. "You bitch!" The man screamed at her but the girl merely gave out a mocking smirk. Before the man can react, Yamazaki emitted electric currents that traveled from her body, to her tonfa, to the man's knife then to his own body.

As if she's not content in electrocuting him, the brunette blew up his head with three bullets straight in between his forehead. Blood and gore splattered around the near vicinity, the man's limp body falling down beside where Yamazaki was standing. _Two_ , she counted.

Before she could react, three men charged at her from behind. "You're a tough one, aren't you, little missy?" The largest of the three, grinned at her. He pulled at her hair roughly, "You'll pay for killing these two."

 _You'll pay…_

… _for killing these two._

Those words processed in her mind. Yamazaki slowly looked at the two corpses. Horrified as realization dawned, she resisted from the three men's grip. "Let me go!" She tried using her ability but the men were wearing rubber suits, as if they were expecting her arrival and her ability.

She heard a click and felt the tip of a gun being pushed against her head. With one wide eye, Yamazaki resisted, "T-Throw away t-that gun, please!"

"Ah~! Little miss mafia's afraid of guns?" The man smirked at her, pushing the gun further into her scalp, "All bark and no bite!"

"S-Stop it, please!" She yelled, eye closed in fear of her own death.

* * *

 _The scene was dark._

 _The kitchen was dimly lit from the television coming from the living room. Yamazaki was back in her house, being held by the hair by a woman in her thirties._

 _The young girl whimpered in panic as she was being held in a gun-point. "Mom, you-you're scaring me!" She cried out, shaking in fear as she begged for her life._

 _The woman shoved her roughly, the gun lazily aimed at her head. "This is what a little bitch like you deserves!" Yamazaki's mother wrapped her free hand on the girl's windpipe, not letting her daughter escape her hold._

" _T-That's bad, m-mom!" Tomie choked out, tears streaming down her cheeks. "P-Please put down the gun, mommy!"_

" _Don't you dare call me 'mommy'! I should've thrown you out years ago when you came to our miserable lives!" The woman gripped Tomie's throat even more, "But you know what? I can't because those guys from your 'insurance' said that you need to be alive if we want pension-money!"_

 _The little girl's vision was starting to blur from the lack of breath, her mother's voice merely a jumble of words. With the last of her energy, Yamazaki softly said, "Please… stop…"_

* * *

"Yamazaki-chan!" A man's voice and a loud gunshot cut through her reverie. The brunette was pulled from her memories when she saw the man holding the gun against her forehead fall down to his side with such force.

The next thing she knew was the two who were holding her down also fell to their demise and she was being carried, bridal-style, away from the battlefield. There was a barrage of bullets aimed at them but her savior was fast enough to evade these bullets.

Yamazaki stared at the dark haired teen; the bandages on his neck have come a bit loose from him running around the place. Sweat trickled down the sides of his temple, a frown etched on his face as he looked around for a good place to hide. The brunette could only gape at the scene unfolding infront of her.

Dazai, the all-mighty and powerful Dazai, made his way to save her from death without her calling for his help. The comfort of his arms around her made her feel safe and protected, even if she knew her abilities were no more. It was somewhat… romantic, now that she had thought about it.

She was like a damsel in distress and her knight in shining armor had come in just in time to save her.

The brunette felt him jump and Dazai held her head as both of them collided on a cemented platform. Yamazaki bit her lip to keep herself from groaning in pain.

Dazai wasted no time to make sure that she's alright, patting her head to see if she had incurred any bumps from the collision. He gently caressed her head, an apologetic smile made its way on his handsome face. "Sorry for that rough landing, milady."

Yamazaki can only nod at his statement and display of affection. She could swear that a blush was decorating her face by now. Chuuya's apprentice noticed a huge barrier in between them and the men who are still showering them with bullets. _So that's why he jumped…_ She thought inwardly, hands still a bit shaking from fear.

"What a douchebag move of Akutagawa-kun to leave you here, huh."

Upon hearing Akutagawa's name, Yamazaki broke down, fearing her impending doom. "I… I failed. A-Akutagawa-san w-will kill me-"

Dazai sighed and held her shoulders. The brunette looked up to him as he said, "No, you didn't fail and he won't kill you. Anyone with trauma won't really function in the middle of the battlefield like that."

"But I-"

"Just let me handle this, okay?" He told her, letting go of her shoulders. Dazai grabbed the remaining gun on Yamazaki's other holster. "Cover your ears, darling." The suicidal executive ordered her. His earlier apologetic expression turned into a cold and hollow mien, "Now, how many bullets shall we waste?"

Yamazaki covered her ears, softly whimpering as Dazai exchanged bullets with the enemy camp _. I'm a disgrace to the mafia_. She mentally said to herself, _Akutagawa-san's right, I'm a weakling. I shouldn't have joined. I should've just died when my mom pointed that gun in my head._

"Does it really scare you?" Dazai asked her in concern. Yamazaki's inner thoughts were suddenly stopped as she stared at the handsome executive beside her. She didn't notice that she was pulling at her hair, her hands shaking uncontrollably. The dark-haired boy continued, "The sounds of guns?"

Chuuya's apprentice shook her head, knowing that her fear didn't stem from the sound of the guns. She was used to it. Aside from their regular physical training, her mentor had given her enough training when handling and aiming a gun. Even on her free time and when Tachihara was idling around, the two of them would play around with their guns.

She wasn't scared of it.

The gunshots didn't faze her.

"T-This is the first… where I was a-ambushed in a mission." She explained meekly, afraid that Dazai might act just like Akutagawa. After all, he's ruthless to subordinates who can't even stand on their own two feet. She's not going to be an exception. Yamazaki knew she's not going to be an exception so she continued, "My… My other escort jobs weren't a-as rowdy as this-"

"Yosh." The dark-haired boy stood up from where he's seated and pulled the girl with him with surprising gentleness. "Let's get you fixed up, Yamazaki-chan…"

When she stood up, Dazai slung his black coat over her shoulders. He held her with such tenderness that showed his pure concern for the girl. This wasn't the flirty Dazai she always avoided. This wasn't the playful Dazai she always runs away from. This was the Dazai that really cared for her well-being, as much as that sounded like a huge delusion.

 _Stop it!_ Yamazaki scolded herself for such thoughts. He was a mafia executive, a man whose history had been tainted by blood and darkness. He wasn't there to give out love and affection without a price. She _knew_ that. She was only worth saving because of her ability.

And ability that she can't even use once her enemies had electric-proofed themselves.

"I'm s-sorry…" The brunette croaked out, tears once again falling from her eyes, "I-I'm so u-useless, Dazai-san…"

"Yamazaki-"

She squatted and hid her face in shame, "M-My mom would a-always scare me with a gun w-whenever I'd do something wrong… I… I guess it stuck t-to me even after two years that I killed… _them._ "

Dazai took a seat beside her, encasing the girl in an embrace, "Shhh…" He hushed, his hand rubbing her back in attempt to ease her mind, "Shhhhh… Don't cry… You're stronger than that, okay?"

"Huh?" Yamazaki looked at the dark-haired teen in confusion. _I'm… strong?_ She asked herself, thinking that she had heard wrong. Dazai, the almighty and powerful Dazai, is calling her strong? _Impossible_.

"You stood up to your parents and used your power to protect yourself. You wandered the streets but still didn't give up. You could've run away when Chuuya brought you to the HQ but you didn't." He gave out a smile, a genuine one. "You're stronger than you think, Yamazaki-chan."

The girl didn't speak. She wanted to ask if he's serious but before she can speak, Dazai pulled her up again, saying, "Let's bring you back, okay?"

"O-Okay." She nodded, letting the suicidal teen to direct where they were going, his right arm protectively holding her just in case she breaks down again. There were so many questions she wanted to ask but Yamazaki knew she just had to ask, "D-Dazai-san, a-are you this n-nice to other mafia members?"

Dazai chuckled at her inquiry, simply replying, "No. Just you."

It was a shock to her. Why? How? Did he see something in her ability that made her so precious? All she could ever do was create electricity… nothing more, nothing less… "W-Why?" She inquired once again, hoping that Dazai's patience isn't wearing thin from her questions.

"You're _my_ _one and only,_ Shizuko." He smiled at her, once again exhibiting that expression of realness and honesty.

" _Shizuko_? Who's that?"

"That's…" Dazai's genuine smile turned into a longing one.

Yamazaki was confused at his display of fluctuating emotions. The young executive wasn't this expressive in his feelings as far as she's concerned. He really is a mystery to behold, the brunette thought.

"That's a code name for someone very important to me!" He explained quickly… Almost _too_ quickly. "Do I need any other reason?"

The girl frowned. He's hiding something… but Yamazaki knows enough to not pry on his reasoning. This is Dazai after all. Deciding to lighten up the conversation, she said to him with a pout, "You're _flirty_ with other women."

"Jealous?" He smirked at her, eyebrows raised in inquiry.

"No… I'm confused."

"No need to be." Dazai chuckled, officially dropping the subject, "Come on, I called the service. You're safe with me now…"

* * *

Chuuya wasn't amused.

His partner had gone off once again to who knows where and left him with the important things that had to be done. Mori wasn't getting very patient with the Soukoku pair these days.

During the executive meeting, he had to become Dazai's proxy – much to the disdain of the other executive members, aside from Kouyou who had welcomed him with open arms. There was a lot of pressure since he wasn't very sure how those meetings go but thanks to his suicidal partner giving him most of the paper works, Chuuya was able to pass off as a decent representative.

Not that the red-headed mafioso was happy about it since it was Dazai's place that he took. The petit mafia saw his suicidal of a partner and yelled, "Oi, Dazai! Where the hell are you?! The boss was pestering me…" Chuuya faltered when he saw Yamazaki under the arms of none other than his partner, Dazai Osamu.

He was about to ask why she looked like shit and had his coat slung over her shoulders but Dazai told him, "Take care of Yamazaki-chan. I've got some business to do." The dark-haired teen ushered Yamazaki towards her mentor.

"You bandage-wasting machine, what did you do-?!" He said, grabbing Dazai by the collar. Chuuya looked at his apprentice and asked, "Yamazaki! Oi, what did he do?"

"I-I'm fine, Nakahara-san…"

"Go to your room. I'll talk to you later." Chuuya ordered to her. The brunette nodded and headed to her sleeping quarters in the HQ. Once she was out of sight, the petit mafia glared at his partner, "Dazai, you bastard! What the hell happened to Yamazaki?! You didn't do something… _unimaginable_ , did you? She's fourteen, for god's sake!"

Dazai pushed Chuuya away from him, a frown etched on his face. "I did nothing." The dark-haired teen's hand formed into a fist, his knuckles turning white at his anger towards his partner's outburst. _I would never do something like_ that _to her,_ he thought to himself. _Not without her consent._

"You better not! She's too important-"

Dazai snapped, his composure gone as he yelled, "I know that, Chuuya! I _know_ she's important!" Upon realizing his sudden outburst, the young executive sighed and explained, "It was Akutagawa-kun. He fucked up again."

Chuuya eyed him, unsure of what pushed the bandage-squandering teen into an unexpected break down. Usually, Dazai would've just laughed it off whenever Chuuya's screaming his lungs off towards his bastard of a partner. "What did your apprentice do?" He asked, somewhat forcing himself to not scream into oblivion again.

"He left Yamazaki-chan to fend off the loitering thugs that were about to rob the deliveries. She was cornered by these men and he merely left her as bait."

"And why is she like a limp vegetable when you brought her in?" Chuuya crossed his arms, eyebrows raised in inquiry, "She can handle a few thugs on her own, even before joining the Port Mafia, shitty Dazai."

"Trauma."

"From what?"

"Guns."

"Hah?"

Dazai shook his head, "Actually… She's terrified of a gun pointed _directly_ at her face."

"Ah." Chuuya remembered reading through Yamazaki's background report about a similar incident. "It's that woman's fault, wasn't it?"

"You did your research well for a petit mafia."

"You're not the only one that the boss trusts with her case. He gave me the full details, each and every classified information" The red-headed mafioso said, his tone lacing with indifference. He looked at Dazai with a frown, his eyes glaring at the man with hatred, "Besides, I can't let any information slip right through me if I'm going to take care of her sorry ass since the boss was the one to personally ask this of me."

Dazai sighed in exasperation, looking at his vertically challenged partner with a rare ' _please do this for me, just this once_ ' expression, "She needs you, Chuuya. She needs emotional support from you."

"I thought you'd volunteer to do that, mackerel."

"I _want_ to but there's someone I need to _talk_ to first."

Chuuya walked towards Dazai, punching him lightly on the shoulder, "Give your subordinate a kick in the stomach for me and a bullet for Yamazaki." He whispered softly, his earlier tone of indifference exchanged with a lot of concern on his voice.

" _Granted_."

* * *

 **A/N:**

WHEW. ANOTHER MONTH OFF OF THIS FANFICTION. FORGIVE ME! Waiting for an update in this story is like waiting for another manga chapter, isn't it? /slapped/ Anyways, let me just- *OH MY GOSH* So many views, follows and favorites! Thank you for the unending support guys! I CANNOT BELIEVE-

OH AND SHOUT-OUT TO MY AMAZING FRIEND, _**Mavilicious**_! Check out her story, **_Blind Eyes_**! _It's about a young girl named Tsubaki Mikan, who left her home in attempt to run away from her responsibilities but luck isn't really on her side. So join her adventures as she struggle to run from her obligations and try her best in being the ADA's resident badger-mole!_

 **Ayumi Kurosawa:** teehee. You don't know how far and wide I looked for Dazai x OC stories until I decided to make my own. thank you for taking your time in reading!

 **Random reader** : I hope you liked this chapter! I'll try my best to update regularly but university's a pain in the ass. /sniffs/ it keeps me from writing this story from all of the projects being thrown at me. BUT CHRISTMAS SEASON IS HERE AND I HAVE MUCH FREE TIME!

 **Guest:** RIGHHHTT? But even though people in the ADA doesn't really call him by his first name, they're still there as his family. Akutagawa, on the other hand... T_T

 **VeraVera** : oh shush you. you're making me blush */* thank you for thinking that Yamazaki's a likeable OC! I try my best to keep her realistic and _grounded_ (see that pun there? hahaha because she needs grounding to create electricity- ok. I'll stop). And yes. This is gonna be a Dazai x OC x Akutagawa fanfic. I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF. THE ANGST IS GONNA BE STRONG IN THIS ONE, I PROMISE YOU. /stabbed/ As if that ship is not heavily implied in the prologue, chapter two and this chapter lol. please stick around for more because the next chapters are gonna be filled with tension and drama!

 **jasmine** : thank you! and I figured she'd probably do her best to 'mimic' Chuuya since he's her mentor. You know how little animals imprint of the first thing it sees after it hatches? Like, a lost little puppy imprinting on a human person because that person showed kindness to that little puppy? That's exactly how I'd describe Yamazaki's relationship with him. lol okay enough of that.

Thank you, once again, for the support! If you liked the story, please favorite, follow and leave a review! Feedback always makes my day and it helps me keep inspiration and motivation in writing this story~ Please tell me anything you'd like to say regarding this story! May it be your feelings towards my character, my writing or generally about how I present this story! Yosh, 'till next time~!


	5. Pt1, Ch4: The Birth of the Storm

PART 1: THE GOOD  
CHAPTER FOUR  
[The Birth of the Storm]

* * *

It's been several weeks since Dazai had saved her from being killed and she hasn't forgotten a single bit about that encounter. Every time she would catch a glimpse of Akutagawa, the brunette would immediately scamper off the room or hide from him. The girl was sure that Dazai's subordinate would care less whether he knew about her endeavors in absconding or not. Yamazaki's reasoning was that they may cross paths and he could suddenly attack her, killing her on the spot.

She didn't want such a lame death.

She didn't want to die, sooner or later… not if she could help it.

After her and her mentor went to Motomachi to buy herself a phone, Yamazaki caught sight of Akutagawa walking along the adjacent street. With her beloved _taiyaki*_ in hand and Chuuya's on the other, the brunette dragged him hastily to hide. (*Taiyaki = Japanese fish-shaped cake, often filled with 'anko' or red bean paste on the inside.)

The red headed teen shrugged off his student's antics, chuckling at her panicked face. Yamazaki found none of it funny but decided to just give her teacher a frown, instead of a smart-ass retort – she was getting better at that, if Chuuya may say so.

The boy received a call afterwards, telling him to report back to HQ with what happened to his infiltration mission with Dazai the night prior. He left her, telling the girl that she's free to wander around but she'll have to come back to the headquarters before seven in the evening. Yamazaki nodded at her petit mentor's orders, promising that she'll have to come back by five anyway, since Ozaki had asked her to buy some ingredients for that night's dinner.

Seated at one of the benches, Yamazaki could attest that the Harbor View Park was one of the best places one could ever go to around the port. The view was calming and relaxing, in contrast to their headquarters. It reeked of sin and corruption. Of course, she's used to that atmosphere, what with living in the mafia for almost five months now, but a change of scenery is always a good thing.

Even Chuuya highly encourages Yamazaki to walk around even without a task assigned to her. "I don't want you ending up like Dazai's apprentice." Her mentor had once said, "You can never bring that guy out of his room or the headquarters without a proper reason."

Tomie sighed in annoyance. She was fixated on her new phone, trying her best to be accustomed to the configuration of the said gadget. The early afternoon breeze blew her hair. Her soft brown locks grew at a faster rate now that it's being cared for, rather than its usual turtle pace growth back when she was still living in the streets. Yamazaki's shoulder length hair was now past her shoulders, her bangs already stopping at the side of her nose.

The girl blew on her bangs, rolling her eyes as she waited for her phone data to download necessary applications for work. She brought up her hand and rested her head on her palm.

Tomie sported a bandaged left hand, her fingers sloppily wrapped by herself since Kouyou had been a little bit busy and the young mafioso didn't want to impose. The wound was Tachihara's fault, back on their latest mission. His idiocy was going to be the death of her soon, she's sure of it. Sighing once again, Chuuya's apprentice closed her eyes as she attempted to recall the past five months she had with the people from the Port Mafia.

Chuuya being such a responsible mentor, teaching her everything she needs to know in surviving the ways of the mafia.

Hirotsu being the very image of discipline for her whenever she's done something stupid that might taint the fearsome image of their organization.

Tachihara being somewhat of a silly friend and an annoying rival when it comes to their tasks and missions.

Ozaki being a mother figure who scolds her for accumulating so many wounds and bruises from her trainings with Chuuya.

Dazai being very flirty and touchy with her, despite his highly revered title as a mafia executive.

And Akutagawa… Oh, _edgelord emo child Akutagawa_ being such a douchebag for almost killing her twice-

"Tomie-chaaaaan~" A man's voice cut through her thoughts, stopping her from insulting the boy in the black coat further in her mind.

Tomie looked up, not surprised to see a bandage-wrapped Dazai Osamu getting right up her face. His expression was his usual lopsided grin that pulls to the right, making the young mafioso look playful and innocent.

The girl would've fallen for his looks if she knew nothing of his dark deeds in the mafia. "Dazai-san, good afternoon." She calmly nodded at him in response then came back to fiddling with her phone.

Dazai drawled a childish _'eh'_ and plopped beside her, their legs making contact as he made sure to be sitting _exactly right_ beside her. "What's with the cold response?" He pouted, a frown etched on his handsome face.

Yamazaki didn't bother to move away from him. As long as he wouldn't initiate actual physical contact that might nullify her abilities, she'll let him slide. The brunette answered him, eyes still on her newly bought gadget, "I'm trying to figure out my phone. Chuuya-san went with me to the mall earlier to buy this. The last one exploded when I accidentally electrocuted the charger."

Dazai laughed at her explanation, imagining her face upon the explosion of her own phone. The brunette continued, "Hirotsu-san is getting mad because he can't contact me. I'm getting more of the prompt missions recently." The suicidal executive took notice of Tomie's phone, surprised that they were using the exact same brand and exact same model.

With a huge grin, he teased her, "You know, we really are meant to be~"

"Huh?"

"First, we had matching bandages on the eye~" Dazai pointed at his right eye that's still bandaged shut. Yamazaki wanted to ask how his wound didn't heal even after several weeks but she never really wanted to deal with another overly dramatic explanation from her superior. The young executive pointed at her phone and produced his own from his pockets, "Now, we have matching phones-"

Upon seeing Dazai's gadget, Yamazaki threw off her phone into the distance without hesitation. A deadpanned expression was etched on her face. "Ah, my hand slipped." She added monotonously, staring at the poor phone that has been tossed 7 feet across the bricked pavement. It snapped in two, much to Dazai's horror.

"How cruel~! My dear Tomie-chan, you didn't need to do that!" He exclaimed melodramatically, taking hold of the girl's shoulders as he shook her in exaggeration to his reaction.

The brunette shrugged, her poker-face expression never leaving her face, "I didn't like the arrangement of the apps on it anyway."

On the inside, she's crying at the pitiful sight of her new phone.

Though she's still not used to the configuration of the said gadget, Tomie was looking forward to using it because Chuuya personally helped her look for the perfect model that works well with her. She just can't fathom the fact that she shares the same exact phone as Dazai, giving the teen another excuse for him to tell her that _they're meant to be_.

"Ah, I'd buy you a new one then~!" Dazai chanted, his grip on her shoulders now encasing the girl in an awkward embrace. Tomie was peeved that her ability was gone as soon as his hands had made contact with her skin.

"No." She replied simply but sharply. Yamazaki squirmed and tried her best to push the suicidal mafioso, irritated by the fact that he's reeking of alcohol once again - it wasn't even past three o'clock in the afternoon. "Please, get off!"

"What am I going to do with you~?"

"Maybe stop touching me?"

"I can't! You're too cute!"

"Gah, g-go away, Dazai-san!" Yamazaki resisted, trying her best to claw off his clutches. His hands were at the same situation as hers, wounded and bandaged. The apprentice took note of how he carefully wrapped his hands and made a mental note of asking him to teach her - on a good day, that is, for minimal flirting and touching.

"You were happily hugging Akutagawa-kun last time, though!" Dazai exclaimed, rubbing his cheeks against hers like an attention-seeking dog who have waited time and time again for its master. "I'm getting jealous!"

"That was an act of desperation. Had I not hugged him, I would've been swimming with the fishes now." The brunette huffed, frowning at the very thought of the incident and why Dazai hadn't forgotten about it.

"True. It was a smart thing of you to do but don't do anything like that again."

"O-Of course not! I'm not the one to give free hugs." Chuuya's apprentice blushed at the notion, both in embarrassment and annoyance. Given the chance to cut ties with Akutagawa, she would do it without hesitation. However, that would require either of them leaving the mafia or dying horribly. She'd rather endure her adventures in playing 'hide and seek' than leave the organization that tolerated her existence or die without properly thanking her mentor.

"How much is one hug from you?"

"Huh?"

"I'm willing to pay~" The suicidal teen cooed, still rubbing his cheeks with Yamazaki's. "How about one kiss per hug?"

"No. Why are you so adamant that I hug you?" The brunette asked in exasperation, "There're other pretty women in the organization, so why me? I'm four years younger, I'm not pretty, I'm not strong and-" She was cut off when Dazai placed his index finger on her lips, his smile more genuine that his usual smirks.

"Shhhh." He shushed her, his voice changing from its earlier playfulness to a serious tone. "Speak no more, Tomie-chan. Didn't I tell you before that you're _my one and only_?"

"…I don't get it." Yamazaki looked away, pouting and frowning from Dazai's statement. He kept saying that. _HE KEEPS SAYING THAT!_ The girl internally screamed in her mind. It frustrated her how easy it is for Dazai to say such things.

She's a nobody.

She's a piece of garbage with a convenient ability.

She's a member who is only being tolerated by the Port Mafia.

She's a bad person who killed just to prove that she's superior than others.

She's a girl clinging to the illusion that she's needed by the mafia because of her abilities.

She's a weak and frail girl that nobody will ever like-

Her thoughts were cut when Dazai had perched himself infront of her, his face filled with concern, "Did I say something wrong?" The young executive's eye was staring at her worriedly, his hands on top of hers. Yamazaki didn't notice that she was clenching her fists, her knuckles were as white as a pearl.

Chuuya's apprentice shook her head. _Damn it!_ She brought up her legs and hid her face, tears unconsciously streaming down her cheeks. _Damn it, this is so embarrassing!_ Yamazaki hugged her legs, trying her best to shove all of her self-pity aside. She didn't want to break down infront of Dazai again. She didn't want to break down ever again.

It made her feel...

" _Crying is for the weak."_

Tomie's heart did a jump. It was her late mother's words. _That voice… It can't be-!_

" _And you're a weak piece of shit!"_

Yamazaki's shoulders shook in panic. The girl looked up in a dark and cluttered room that has been boarded shut by the windows and a number of locks and chains decorating the door. She was trying her best to find the source of the voice. For the two years that she had stayed in the streets, that phantom of an echo had haunted her wherever she went. She would see the ghost of her dark room - the ghost of her vicious and ruthless prison.

It plagued her dreams. It ravaged her conscience. It destroyed her mind.

The thought of being the one to have killed your own parents with no recollection whatsoever. The terror of seeing a river of blood flowing down from your very own hands. The disgust towards yourself when you see the corpse of your parents not far from the weapon that has been used.

Tomie had been broken beyond belief… and in such a young age of twelve, at that.

No matter how hard she tried to recollect those shattered pieces of her humanity and innocence, the voice still continued, _"Bad people like you should just die in a ditch!"_

 _No! Stop it!_ Tomie pulled at her hair, closed her eyes and cocooned herself in a safety barrier between the cruel world and herself. Her tears kept flowing down and the warm afternoon breeze seemed to have turned cold and bleak. _I don't want this… I don't deserve this… Please stop!_

" _Go kill yourself, you scum!"_

 _I don't want to die. Please, don't let me die..._ She chanted on her mind, helplessly crying for help. This was despite the fact that she had long accepted that no one will ever save her from her own personal hell. After joining the Port Mafia, however, it sparked up a small ray of hope and salvation. A spark that she's desperately trying to cling to. _Someone, please, stop the voices...!_

The cold breeze stopped as she felt a warm garment of clothing being plopped down her shoulders. A strong pair of arms encased her in a tender embrace, a hand patting her head in attempt to ease her chaotic mind.

It felt… _familiar_.

"It's okay to cry, Tomie-chan…" Dazai's gentle voice cut through the poignant words of her mother, making her feel as if the thorn in her heart has been removed.

Yamazaki let herself cry hard. Every emotion that she kept hidden and locked up came crashing down - her happiness, her sadness, her fears, her self-pity, her envy, her confusion… and even that unnamed feeling on the pit of her stomach whenever Dazai's off to do something so heartfelt…

...exactly what he's doing right now.

"Are you hesitating?" The suicidal executive asked, his hand never leaving Tomie's head as he kept on appeasing her oscillating feelings. Even without context, the girl knew exactly what he was implying.

She sniffed and wiped off her tears _. What kind of question is that?_ That's what she didn't say. The brunette knew that she wasn't hesitating. She never really hesitated in leaving the organization. If not, she had confirmed her resolve in continuing her deeds for the mafia.

"…no." Tomie shook her head. She didn't say anything after that.

To the girl, she was a bad person that nobody will ever accept if they know her past…

Suddenly, Chuuya's image passed her mind. He knew about her history. He knew about what she has done to her parents yet… he's still treating her like a human being. And even Dazai's being such a gentleman to her, though he's occasionally harassing her with flowery words and with his clinginess.

A random question popped up her head, a distraction that she needed, "Dazai-san, if we're the bad guys, then… who are the good guys?"

With a frown, the curly-haired mafioso sighed at her sudden inquiry, "That… I can't answer you, my dear… But what do you think?"

She was surprised by the fact that Dazai threw the question back at her. It gave her an excuse to change the subject and think about the topic at the same time. After thinking about it for a few seconds, Tomie answered, "I don't really think we're the bad guys here. I mean… you're not bad-"

"I have killed hundreds…" The dark haired teen retorted, his voice now sharp and serious, "Criminals, traitors and even innocent civilians."

"Yet you're still talking to me like a normal human being, Dazai-san." The girl leaned in his embrace, closing her eyes in exhaustion. Her nullified abilities have been long pushed back her mind. _Just this once… I'll let this slide_. She thought to herself, relaxing at the warmth and kindness from Dazai's simple gesture of affection.

"Still a wrecking ball of surprises, huh."

* * *

"See, you aren't a bad guy, Dazai-san, you're going to help me with shopping." Tomie smiled at the curly-haired executive, her right hand pulling at his as they both threaded on the sea of people in the Yokohamabashi Shopping District. A list of ingredients, written in beautiful calligraphy and perfect strokes, were on Yamazaki's left hand. Her earlier mood increased tenfold after accidentally sleeping on Dazai's embrace. It was a good thing that the suicidal teen didn't think anything of it as he let her rest for a while.

"Geez. I never thought you'd use a Port Mafia executive as your own personal maid, Tomie-chan." Dazai whined and pouted even though he was enjoying the fact that Tomie was the first one to actually initiate physical contact. He intertwined his fingers with hers, to which the girl didn't mind as she looked around the stalls.

"Plus, don't you just love walking around Yokohama?" She asked, her eyebrows arched in a questioning gesture.

"Well, since I'm with you, it's like a romantic walk, isn't it?"

"No."

"Such a quick shot down…" Dazai sniffed and faked his tears, a crestfallen expression was etched on his face. "You're learning too much from Chuuya! Distance yourself from your slug of a mentor for a bit. The next thing we know, you'd also be calling me a bastard." He melodramatically exclaimed.

Tomie looked offended at his conclusion. She looked at him with a frown and said to him in a very genuine manner, "I won't do that."

"Really?" The curly haired executive smiled, his eyes sparkled at the words coming from Tomie. He closed his eyes in glee and put his free hand on the left side of his chest, "That warms my heart-"

"The boss will have my head for disrespecting you." The apprentice glowered, holding her neck protectively with her free hand, the grocery list now tucked safely on her pants' pocket. She looked at Dazai with fearful eyes, "And I'm disrespecting you enough with my comebacks and retorts."

Upon hearing the girl's reasoning, the crocodile tears came back once again, "How dare you lead me on like that, Tomie-chan! My _innocent_ heart has been wounded!"

Tomie looked at her superior with disbelieving eyes. "Innocent, _my ass_." She mumbled loud enough for Dazai to hear, a mix of a mocking and a joking tone is evident on her voice.

"I heard that missy." The executive gave her a look and lightly karate chopped her head, a smile gracing his handsome face.

"Ooops~"

"Who's asking you for grocery shopping, anyway? Chuuya?"

"Ane-sama." Tomie simply replied, her focus going back to the shopping list given to her by the said woman.

Dazai took it upon himself to direct the girl along the sea of people in Yokohamabashi, their hands still intertwined and the younger mafioso wasn't showing any signs of noticing it any time soon. "She said she'll be cooking food for you and Chuuya-san since your next mission will take weeks!"

She was upset that her mentor would be gone for two to three weeks, depending on the situation that's been happening in Tokyo. Chuuya and Dazai were assigned to stop any anomaly that has been appearing in the said place. It was disrupting their businesses and the boss wasn't getting anywhere near happy with the ability-users there.

However, Chuuya promised he would be there, just in time, for Christmas. Tomie was looking forward to spending her first Christmas without the pain of being beaten up to death or the fear of being hanged precariously inside a sack, 8 feet above the ground with no means to escape.

This was her first holiday season where she's got freedom to do what she likes and Yamazaki would love to show her appreciation to her mentor. The brunette was thinking of inviting Chuuya to a simple dinner in a restaurant she had passed by once. Of course, that was still a tentative plan - if her mentor isn't spending Christmas' Eve with a special someone.

"A party?" Dazai's voice brought her back to Yokohamabashi, stopping her train of thoughts.

Tomie shook her head, "It's not really a party... just a simple get-together, I think."

"What food are you cooking?" The suicidal teen's eye sparkled with anticipation, the thought of seeing Yamazaki prepare food for him made his heart skip a beat. _She'd be the perfect wife-material if she's good in cooking!_ Dazai mentally noted then continued to sing his high praises for the girl, _as if Tomie-chan isn't perfect enough~_

"I'm just helping out." Tomie smiled humbly, hiding the fact that the only food she knew how to cook is instant ramen and the usual fried foods, like sunny-side up eggs. She passed the grocery list to Dazai and explained, "Ane-sama gave me this list but I'm not really sure where to buy…"

"Leave it to me~" The dark haired executive examined the list and smiled back at the younger girl. Dazai promised himself to bring Tomie to the finest stalls so she could buy quality materials for this 'get-together', thus resulting in amazing food that the girl could make.

They walked around the shopping district, buying the ingredients one by one. The suicidal executive was happily walking alongside Tomie despite the fact that he's the one bringing the things they bought. He insisted on taking the groceries from Tomie, much to the hesitation of the girl.

The two mafiosi was about to go back to the headquarters when a particular shop caught Tomie's eyes. She stopped walking, her eyes fixated on the sign and the glass panels that showed cute little animals staring at the people walking past. The young girl clutched the sleeves of Dazai's black blazer unconsciously. It caught the attention of the teen.

He looked at Tomie in confusion and the girl asked, "Dazai-san, is that a pet store?" She pointed at the said store, in which Dazai turned his attention to the place she's directing at.

With a gentle smile, Dazai nodded and replied, "Why yes. It _is_ a pet store, Tomie-chan."

"Can we take a peek? Just a little bit?"

The bandage wrapped executive frowned, "Tomie-chan, you just told me that you need to go back to the HQ before five..." He faltered as Tomie gave him the sweetest smile and the cutest pleading look that he had ever seen from the young apprentice. Had he not known about self-control, Dazai would've fainted right then and there. With a slight blush across his cheeks, he merely sighed and agreed to the girl's plead, "Well, I can't say no to such a cute face."

Yamazaki gave out a cheer of happiness and dragged the mafia executive to the pet store with the brightest grin she has ever displayed that day.

They entered the shop filled with different kinds of domestic and rare pets. The girl immediately cooed at the closest animal she found, a colorful parrot perched on an artificial branch, "Ah, look at that adorable bird~ I've always wanted a parrot."

"Would you like one?"

"It'll die if I bought one. I'll forget to feed it regularly." She shrugged, an embarrassed blush dusting on her cheeks as she honestly admitted that to Dazai.

"Fair point." He nodded. The dark haired teen's attention was diverted when he saw the little kittens on their own place at the side of the shop. Dazai put the groceries down and squatted down to look closer at the pets. He gave out a cute 'nyan~' and tried to one-sidedly converse with the kittens.

Upon seeing Dazai squatted on the side of the store, Tomie followed him to see what caught the boy's attention. She gave out a disgusted 'geh' and glowered at the pets.

"What's with the reaction?"

"A cat scratched me when I was a kid!" She pouted, rubbing her left wrist as if the scratch from the said cat was still evident on her skin, "It hurt like hell, especially when the doctor gave me the anti-rabies injection, and my mother scolded me for being too playful with animals."

"What happened after? You didn't get rabies, did you?" Dazai stood up with a teasing grin.

"I didn't get rabies, Dazai-san," Tomie shook her head then glared at the kittens unconsciously, hatefully remembering the event, "But she killed my hamsters because of that! Ugh, that old hag."

"Poor hamsters." Dazai laughed at her and patted her head.

"Right?" She replied, agreeing on her own opinions. The brunette heard a soft bark from the other side of the shop. There were puppies of different breeds and sizes. Tomie gave out a squeal and hastily walked towards them, surprising Dazai from the girl's childish display.

It was a first, after all. She always seemed to be sharp, sassy and serious - especially when she's with Chuuya. Dazai found this childish trait of Tomie as endearing.

He sighed in remorse. The suicidal executive realized that the girl is just a simple young teen, too young to be so exposed to mafia's corruption. He feared for her safety and much more for her future.

The teenage boy could only look at her despairingly as she squatted infront of the glass panel. "What a cute little puppy~" She cooed, tapping the glass panel that separates the rest of the shop from the puppies. Tomie looked up to Dazai and stuttered, "C-Can I- Uhm- Would I-?"

He nodded affectionately and signaled for one of the employees. When a female employee came to their side immediately, Dazai asked in the most alluring voice he could muster, "Miss, my little sister would like to see the puppies, would you be so nice to let her inside the room?"

"Uhm, sir, these are for those who'll be placing adoption on one of our puppies… She's welcome to peek at the window, though, if you're both only going to look at them." She explained, looking apologetically at Tomie.

The young apprentice merely looked at the store employee. She was blushing and was a bit fidgety. Tomie's mind processed what had happened. Dazai using his usual flirty voice on a stranger was no surprise to her. However, she knew of his ulterior motive as to why he's using his looks and social skills. It's for the employee to accept his whims. The younger mafioso forced herself to not laugh at the situation. Instead, Tomie frowned dejectedly, playing her part as Dazai's sister.

"I'm sorry, Tomie-chan…" Dazai patted her shoulder, his face expressing remorse at the employee's decision to not let her inside the room of puppies, "I took a day off just for your birthday but I'm sorry, sweetie, you can't go inside-"

"O-Oh! It's her birthday? Uhm…" The employee seemed confused and panicked, her face displaying a forced smile, "M-Maybe I can make an exception… J-Just this once."

"Why, thank you, my lady. It means a lot to me that my little sister is happy on her day." The young executive said, holding the girl employee's hand and kissed it as thanks. Behind the suicidal mafioso, Tomie was gripping at his blazer for support. She was shaking from forcing herself to not howl in laughter at Dazai's schemes. She was highly amused at the scene that's happening before her.

"I-I'll just get the keys from my m-manager, I'll be right back..."

The brunette grinned at Dazai as the store employee made a beeline to the manager's office. He looked at her with his eyebrows arched up in confusion, "What? What's with the smirk?"

"That was some smooth talking, Dazai-san." She lightly punched him on the shoulder, the grin never leaving her face.

"Is that your way of thanking me, _imouto_?" The dark haired teen chuckled at her, slinging his arm around her shoulders and ruffled her hair.

Tomie yelped and resisted from his grip but she was laughing, in contrast to her previous attempts of getting away from Dazai. "Yes yes, _nii-san_ , thank you _so_ much." She replied sarcastically, making a mocking face at Dazai.

"I'd like a kiss on the cheek, please."

"Kiss my _ass_ , Dazai-san."

Dazai dramatically gasped and looked at her as if it offended him, " _Rude_."

* * *

It has been several weeks.

Three months, to be exact.

Nine weeks, to be more precise.

Sixty-six days, to be a lot more specific.

Akutagawa was unconsciously keeping track of the time. He didn't like how he instinctively counted how _long_ he has seen Yamazaki face-to-face. Of course, the boy in black coat doesn't have a sliver of attraction towards the girl. Not a chance. Never in a million years. No past, present or future lives of him will ever match up or develop the patience to deal with the girl's bright eyed obnoxiousness.

In fact, she was very far from his ideal type.

The ravenet's ideal type was someone _like_ his sister, Gin. Long locks of hair flowing across the breeze, lady-like and well-mannered, strong and independent… These are his preferences, to name a few. And none of these matched Yamazaki in anyway.

He was merely counting the days, weeks and months that they had encountered each other personally. Akutagawa was aware that the girl was avoiding him. She wasn't very obvious on the first weeks, being all stealthy and sneaky whenever he would come to view. The following several weeks were a disappointment. The brunette was being hasty with her evasions and it was starting to become obvious to Akutagawa.

Despite his grudge towards the girl -she was the first one to insult him and has ever lived to tell the tale-, Dazai's apprentice was looking forward to this game of hide-and-seek with Yamazaki. He liked seeing her panicked expression and horrified face. It made him feel… _superior_ , for once.

There are the other men in the mafia who fear him and are inferior to him in the hierarchical caste of the mafia, like that member called Oda Sakunoske, but Yamazaki was different.

The thought of someone _groveling at his feet_ in utter horror made his sickly body feel _alive_. His whole life was a rollercoaster in the dumpster, after all. Akutagawa was always either hollow, empty or aimless. He wasn't the one to complain about it but meeting Yamazaki made a different turn in his pathetic life.

She was the first to try and attempt to befriend the lovechild of darkness and sin. She was the first to insult him _creatively_ \- and she was the first to ever lived, as much as he hated that fact. She was the first to avoid the situation by hiding from him, instead of totally leaving the mafia...

And she was the first to be able to get Dazai's praise and devotion without doing so much as smile idiotically towards her mentor.

She was the bane of his existence. She was the reason why he's keeping his tail in between his legs, in fear of being chased out of the organization if he so much as kill her. Dazai would definitely do that, seeing that Akutagawa's suicidal maniac of a teacher is merely toying with the girl. As the faithful and humble apprentice, the ravenet knows that he shouldn't _fuck around_ with Dazai's playtoys - not now, not ever.

"-gawa." A man's voice shattered his train of thoughts, bringing him back to the bleak hallways of the headquarters.

Akutagawa's attention turned back to the man in the suit. He looked at him with an expressionless face and blinked. _What was he saying again?_ He asked himself, knowing full well that he's been ignoring the man due to his idle thoughts.

The man sighed patiently at the young teen. "Were you listening?" He asked hesitantly, in fear of his own life.

"Sorry. What was it?" Akutagawa replied. He covered his hand infront of his mouth, coughing softly. His coughing had been constantly bugging him but he can't be bothered to go to a doctor. He believed that the medication he's taking is enough to suppress the irritating feeling on his lungs. Gin, however, begged to differ. She was forcing him to at least check-up on his _condition_. Akutagawa still refused.

"I said you're asked to report to the boss. He's awaiting you."

"Now?"

"Yes." The man nodded, " _Now_."

The teen in the black coat frowned and grunted. He didn't want to go around the headquarters as of the moment. _He was waiting for his prey to come out._ Yamazaki was lounging around the lobby. If she goes outside, the girl would eventually see him and this would result in another game of 'hide-and-seek'. "Where's Dazai-san? Does he know?"

"He's off to a mission in Tokyo… And no, the memo was only given this afternoon. Dazai-san left in the morning with Nakahara-san."

"Tch." Akutagawa crossed his arms and glared at the man. He found it unnecessary to go to the boss' office. He's not an executive. He's not a highly revered member, either. He's just… Dazai's apprentice. "Why is the boss asking for my audience? I'm a mere subordinate."

The man shook his head, "He didn't tell."

" _Fine_." And with that, Akutagawa left for the central building within the Port Mafia complex. _Yamazaki's horrified face will have to wait_ , he thought to himself.

* * *

Akutagawa had never met the Port Mafia's leader, even after his years of service to the organization. All he know about the man was his name and his way of running the mafia. He respected the boss, like any other individual in the Port Mafia, but what baffled him is the fact that Mori was asking for his audience.

 _Perhaps he has something to say to Dazai-san?_ Akutagawa asked himself, thinking of the reasons why he's being called upon. _Maybe he's assigning me on some important mission-_

A shrill scream cut through the dim hallways of the top floor of the main building. Akutagawa's mood turned sour upon hearing the inhuman volume of protests and yells that came from his boss' office. It was as if Mori Ougai's child can't be tamed - that is, if he _has_ a child.

"I'm Akutagawa." The ravenet said to the sentries who were guarding the front door. They let him in without saying a word.

As he stepped inside the room, he saw a little blonde girl in a red dress screaming her lungs off. She was running away from a middle-aged man, presumably _the_ Mori Ougai. The boss was holding a pair of chopsticks and a black bowl. He was sporting a panicked expression, a worried frown etched on his face.

"You can eat that garbage, Rintarou!" The little girl yelled, flinging a throw pillow towards the man. She continued her flight, her face flushed red from all the screaming, running and absconding from the mafia boss. "You're tricking me into eating something spicy again!"

Akutagawa cleared his throat, announcing his presence to the two. "Boss, I came under your orders." He said humbly and politely, not wanting to create a bad impression to the man who had agreed to take him in. If it wasn't for Mori's permission, Akutagawa knew he would be dead and killed by Dazai, years prior to the current situation he's in.

"Akutagawa-kun?" Mori looked at him for support, "Can I ask you of something? This is very urgent." The middle-aged mafia boss walked to his table and picked up a spoon. He hastily went to the teen's direction and offered the food to Akutagawa. "Does this taste spicy? Elise has been running away from me because of this!"

"THAT'S SPICY!" The little girl said, locking herself on one of Mori's closets.

 _Urgent?_ Akutagawa swore he would have facepalmed at the boss' notion, if Mori wasn't his boss. The teen took the pork cutlet bowl, taking a decent amount of the food for him to taste. He chewed the food, assessing the taste, texture and it's over-all flavor. "Not at all. The caramelized onions' sweetness actually cut through the salt in the katsu. Plus, the added egg made the dish somewhat creamy. It's nowhere near spicy."

Mori sighed in relief, seeing that one of his members have agreed to him. "See, Elise? I told you it's not spicy!" He said to the little girl, forcing her out of the closet in which she had tried to hide on.

Akutagawa passed the katsudon bowl to the little girl without a word. He was mystified and perplexed at this urgent matter with the boss. _Was this his reason why he asked of me?_ He mentally questioned, not really sure if this was the same man as he was expecting Mori to be. If this was the case, then he's not surprised why Dazai's the way he is today.

Elise took the food from him and picked up the forgotten chopsticks from Mori's table. The little girl sat on one of the sofas in the office with a pout. She ate silently in the background, much to Mori's pleasure.

The young assassin diverted his attention to the mafia boss, who was now seated on his chair, fixing himself after the chaotic feeding time with Elise. "Now, do you know why I asked of you to come up here?" Mori asked him, looking at Akutagawa straight in the eyes.

"No, boss."

"I think you've been properly acquainted to Yamazaki Tomie-chan?" The mafia boss smiled at him, his eyes showing a spark that screams ' _ulterior motives_ ' to the ravenet.

"Yes, sir." He replied politely, "She's Nakahara-san's subordinate-"

Mori cut him, slightly narrowing his eyes at Dazai's apprentice. "Reports came in to me, saying that you once tried to kill her and another time you merely left her to fend off for herself a few months ago. Is that true?" There was a sudden chill that spread across the room and Akutagawa knew that this conversation with the boss is going south.

One wrong answer may cost him his life, if he's not careful.

"Yes, sir." The ravenet merely agreed, forcing himself to tell the truth - no matter how hard it is to avoid the temptation of lying.

"Do you know why Yamazaki-chan, despite such a frail young and inexperienced ability-user like her, is in this organization?"

"…I can't say I know, boss."

"She has greater potential than any of our subordinates in this organization… including _you_." Mori shrugged lightheartedly, baffling the young teen. Akutagawa can't seem to imagine Yamazaki being a lot stronger than him.

According to Dazai, he was a slow learner and that his ability is useless. The black haired assassin proved that wrong - and he _kept_ proving that wrong. He may be a slow learner but he's becoming stronger each time he defeats his enemies. Yamazaki, on the other hand, is also a slow learner and her emotions cloud her potentials to use her ability. She can't even kill a single enemy without a force that pushes her to commit the crime.

To Akutagawa, that's their most obvious difference. The mental and emotional strength to do the dark deeds for the Port Mafia without hesitation.

"Can I ask why, sir?" Akutagawa inquired, hoping that he wasn't crossing the line with that one question. If there was something he didn't want to do when meeting Mori, that would be offending the mafia boss by thinking that Akutagawa's a know-it-all and an obnoxious teen who's not worth the mafia's time. The ravenet didn't want that.

"There are things I cannot state as of yet but I'm going to tell you right now… Yamazaki-chan is important to the mafia and its future, Akutagawa-kun. Killing her in your own hands means you're crushing the organization that fed and sheltered you all these years."

"With all due respect, how can you say that she's important? She can't even protect herself-"

"I can't give you the full details, Akutagawa-kun." The middle aged man sighed at Akutagawa's inquiries. Then, an idea popped in his mind, "Hmmm… Maybe just one significant fact to scare you off."

Akutagawa had never been so traumatized his whole life upon hearing the classified information from Mori.

* * *

It's been six days since Chuuya went to Tokyo with Dazai for official mafia business. Yamazaki was in the dark about what's actually happening there and how bad the situation is, since her mentor had only left her with a simple note and a new hat to add to her humble collection.

The note read:

 _Oi, Tomie, I'll be back before Christmas. Don't forget about my gift. Remember that wine we saw in the antique shop? It'd be great if you can get that for me. I'd buy it myself but the owner had banned me from his shop because he claims that I kept scamming him! As if I'd stoop so low for such an amazing bottle of wine. Every yen is worth it, to be honest. And I'll tell you about the mission once I get back since the boss ordered me not to tell you yet._

 _In the meantime, always follow Kouyou-ane-san, she'll know what to do with you. Play nice with Tachihara and Dazai's apprentice, don't let them kill you while I'm gone. I'll bring back gifts for you, don't worry. You'd like more hats, too, right?_

 _Alright, I'm off. Shitty Dazai's whining about me being all fiddly with my 'love letter' – he didn't know I'm writing this to you. Here's an early gift, in case I don't get to be there at Christmas… Just in case!_

– _Chuuya_

She could only sigh at the pretty hat that her mentor gave her. It has been like that for a few months now. Chuuya would buy her something that caught his attention or something that reminded him of her and Tomie would do the same for him. Her pay was too much for herself so she'd spend half of it on savings and every day needs, a quarter for donations, another quarter for the gift-war she declared with Chuuya.

Yamazaki groaned in boredom. It was downtime in the mafia, not many tasks are to be accomplished since most of their businesses are begrudgingly on-hold. The brunette had no idea why it's possible to have so much free time in their organization. She could only hypothesize the fact that maybe the anomalies in Tokyo had been affecting their local trades.

"Hhhgnhh… Why is Chuuya-san out of town again…! And Tachihara's off with his squad." She complained, stretching herself at one of the sofas in the lobby. The reception was one of Yamazaki's favorite hang-out places if she's home-bound. In addition to the nice lady receptionist, many of the members did not use the sofa when they're checking in for a job – giving the brunette the pleasure of being sprawled on the said furniture alone. The buildings may seem normally elegant to an outsider but if one is a member of the Port Mafia, they'd know the secrets around the structures.

Their receptionist left for a lunch break when the young apprentice decided to stay in the lobby for a bit. "This isn't fair. Why am I left here in the HQ?" Yamazaki cried out rolling around the sofa like a small child waiting for Santa Claus to come on a Christmas Eve.

"Gah! Even Hirotsu-san and Ane-sama are gone for their missions." She sat up abruptly, making her head swirl for a while. The girl felt her wallet fall down from the back pocket of her pants. Groaning, she picked it up reluctantly – only to blush upon seeing a familiar picture displayed in it.

It was her and Dazai when they went out to the shopping district. The dark-haired teen insisted that they try the _purikura_ * since no one is using it and since they have time to spare. The girl was dragged along, much to her dismay. She would've been alright with it if Dazai didn't kiss her on the cheeks, _again_ , at the last picture. (* _Purikura_ = Photo booth)

"Yamazaki."

"Eeek!" She immediately closed her wallet in panic and looked up to the source of the voice. Lo and behold, the one and only emo-lord Akutagawa was standing proud and tall infront of her, eyes glazed with boredom. The brunette's heart was thumping hard upon the sight of the dangerous teen and she dashed for it, running away with her life intact.

Akutagawa clicked his tongue and used his rashoumon to grab the girl by the ankles, dragging her back towards him. "Yamazaki…" He repeated, his tone strained.

"G-Go away!" She screamed, gripping the potted Madagascar Dragon tree that was near her vicinity and hugged it for her dear life. "I w-want to live!" Tomie protested as Akutagawa's rashoumon pulled her away from the poor plant.

He hanged her upside down, leaving the girl squirming mid-air. _Why is today not my day?!_ Tomie internally screamed as she resisted Dazai's apprentice's ability. "Don't ignore me when I am making an effort to speak with your sorry ass." He stared at her with a poker face but his voice was lacing with irritation and annoyance.

"Don't kill me! I'm sorry for that last stunt in the port…" She faltered when Akutagawa shoved a small pocket-sized box towards her. He lowered her to the floor, leaving the girl in confusion. "Uhm… W-What's this?"

"It's-"

"T-This is a small grenade, isn't it? It'll explode o-once I open it, right? Or m-maybe it's a poison gas th-that will kill me once it shoots its g-gases into my face? I saw t-that once of the TV wh-when my father was w-watching. Or maybe-!" Yamazaki stopped babbling when the dangerous teen pointed multiple knife-like strips of rashoumon around her neck, forcing her to shut up.

"The boss assigned me to be your partner for the rest of your life-"

"You're _proposing_ to me?!" She gaped at him, almost forgetting the pointy tips of the ravenet's ability.

"No, _you fool_." He spat out with pure venom. Akutagawa was disgusted at her notion.

"But you said…" The girl opened the little box. It showed her a simple silver necklace with a small emerald gem decorating it. _Oh, it's not a ring._ She sighed in relief, unable to think about her answer if Akutagawa really _is_ proposing to her. _Whew. WAIT, WHY IS HE GIVING ME A NECKLACE?!_ Yamazaki was about to ask him why he'd give her such a piece of jewelry but he was faster with his reply.

"I have neither the intention of getting married nor to get married to a simpleton like you."

"That's harsh. _I have good qualities, too…"_ She mumbled the last part in aggravation, her mind not processing the fact that they were now official partners.

"This letter is directly from the boss, stating that whenever you have missions, we'll be going together as a pair." Akutagawa explain, his voice displaying hints of antipathy and exasperation. "Apparently, he didn't see chaos when you're with that Black Lizard guy."

"But _why_? Y-You probably hate me-"

"Not _probably_. I _despise_ you."

"Point taken…" She nodded, understanding why Akutagawa despises her. She hates him, too, for all of the horrible things he has done. Now, pointing all of his rashoumon towards her, is another reason why she hates the boy. "Why would he do that, though?!"

"Confidential information."

"Hah?!"

"The boss did not want me to tell you any more information regarding this subject."

Yamazaki sighed in exasperation. "Just a clue, please?"

"Loosen your tongue and you lose your life, Yamazaki. The second most important rule of the mafia." He looked at her, eyes judging every bit of Yamazaki's being. The teen put up his hands infront of his mouth, coughing ever-so-slightly. "Unfortunately, however, being in an official partnership like this also means that you've been given a label that stops me from killing you." Akutagawa explained, retracting the knife-like rashoumon away from Yamazaki.

" _Shut up_." She replied, eyes as wide as saucers. _Am I really hearing this?_ She thought to herself. The thought of Akutagawa not killing her thrilled the brunette. It was like a thorn was pulled from her soul, knowing that the dangerous ravenet isn't going to hunt her for blood.

"Yes."

"So, even if I do this?" Yamazaki asked, poking the boy at his shoulder.

"Fuck off." He slapped away her hands.

"Or this?" The girl poked his back.

"Poke me one more time-"

"Maybe this?" She poked him on the right side of his abdomen, making the boy step back from her touch. It seemed uncharacteristic of Dazai's apprentice to retreat from her poking - leaving the girl to one hypothesis: Akutagawa is ticklish on his sides.

"I will stab you, Yamazaki!" He yelled at her, his ability now ready to attack her in every possible angle one can imagine.

"But you said you can't kill me!"

"I can't _kill_ you but that doesn't mean I can't _hurt_ you."

Fear came back to the brunette's eyes, not believing Akutagawa's words. "But stabbing me will kill me!" She reasoned out, giving out a desperate but panicked smile.

"I heard from Ozaki-san about your healing rate. You will not perish if I stab you… just a little bit. Am I right?" The ravenet asked her, dark irises appreciating the fear he had instilled within the girl in mere seconds.

"You're having fun at the thought of being able to torture me, aren't you?" She asked him, voice cracking from the thoughts of herself, blushing and moaning under Akutagawa's ministrations. Chuuya had accepted that part of her, giving her leeway time to adjust if the pain is too much for her. The boy in the black coat, however, would laugh at her if he knew about this strange masochistic behavior she had developed.

She wasn't ready to show anyone that side of her. Not Dazai… and especially not her _now-official partner_ , Akutagawa. This edgelord will surely love her pain, seeing that he can blackmail and humiliate her all he wants.

"I'm basically looking forward to it, Yamazaki."

" _Shit_." That's when Yamazaki knew… A storm is starting to brew within the Port Mafia, and that's not because of the Soukoku pair.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 ** _*Hang around in the next few days because I'll be updating soon with the Christmas and New Year's Special!*_**

 **9,000 words**. That's what you guys get for being amazing readers! My Christmas is already happy enough that Mystic Messenger's Christmas DLC came in and I— / _sniffs_ / 43 favorites and 57 follows…! Thank you so much for believing in this story! I hope you guys have a Merry Christmas despite the fact that the BSD anime was finished last Friday! / _whispers_ / It's okay, we're getting a season three sooner or later because Dostoevsky's been featured in the finaleeeee!

 **VeraVera** : I hope you passed all of your exams, bae! I'm happy to have brought light to your dark week on my last update! And yes, I love insulting our beloved emo child, Akutagawa. / _cackles manically_ / It's something that I won't be able to do if I'm in their universe, after all, so I'm enjoying the liberty that I have right now. Thank you for always reviewing in this story and I hope you never get tired of me asking for feedback and motivation!

 **3** : Akutagawa being such an ass is the best Akutagawa tbh! Hahahaha _/slapped/_

 **Yuki15** : That's an interesting suggestion but I'm sorry to say that I can't do that. I've written out the partially-complete plotline of this story. All I have to do now is write the actual chapters with a few edits here and there. If there is a certain event that I'm not satisfied with, I'll have to tweak the story a bit but I can't change something so major in the plot line. It's very interesting ( _/whispers/ it's sooo tempting since Mafia!Dazai is waaaay hotter and cooler than A.D.A.!Dazai, if that makes sense… /stabbed/_ ) but I'm really sorry that I can't do that. Please look forward to the following chapters that I have prepared, though!

 **Mikilla:** Well, as of now, she has Dazai, Akutagawa, Chuuya and Tachihara… Should we bring in Tanizaki and Atsushi? / _waggles eyebrows_ / That'd be interesting HAHAHAHA / _shot_ / OH AND BY THE WAY, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR DRAWING OF TOMIEEE! /squeals/ This is the first time someone had asked me if they can draw my OC and please do! Here is the reference sheet I made a few days back (made especially for you, darling) and you can contact me on tumblr, under the same username I have here in Fanfiction-dot-net!

[ _Please change the "dot"s to actual periods because Fanfiction doesn't allow links… and if it doesn't show up, PM me, I'll try to reply right away!_ ] **principessabel(** _ **dot**_ **)tumblr(** _ **dot**_ **)com/post/154549348964/**

 **kirika o7** : SAAAMEEEE! I'm trying my best to not rush the events, since we're four years _before_ the actual plotline but please keep looking forward to more chapters! We'll get to the current storyline soon enough, I promise!

BTW, I plan on updating two more times this holiday season (and since I'm free of the clutches of college as of now)! One is the special, as I've said above, and another one after New Year, perhaps around the second or third week of January? We only have three to four more chapters before we transition to the second part, "The Bad"! I love y'all and, once again, please do favorite and follow if you liked my story! Leave a review for feedback about me grammar, spelling and over-all things you'd like to tell me~!

Please keep looking forward to the future chapters and I hope you guys have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! /sends out virtual festive cookies/


	6. Pt1, Ex1: Tomie's Christmas

PART 1: THE GOOD  
EXTRA CHAPTER 1  
[Tomie's Christmas]

* * *

Tomie looked at the buzzing streets of Yokohama from her room on the seventh floor. The white snow covered everything in a blanket of white and the dark starless sky contrasted the bright lights down below, making the scene look like a solemn place – the perfect scenery for the date. The brunette sighed for the nth time that night. She looked at the calendar with a longing expression on her face.

December 24. _Christmas' Eve_.

It's already past eleven in the evening. There are still _no_ signs of Chuuya anywhere. No texts. No calls.

She was waiting for his car to pull up the driveway and make his way to the parking lot, which is down below the current building she's in. Anyone who goes in or out with their car is seen by Tomie from her room.

He had texted her a few days prior, on her _newer_ phone, that he'll be going back to the headquarters to spend the eve of Christmas with her. It was going to be their first Christmas as student and mentor; Yamazaki was looking forward to expressing her gratitude to her ever-so-responsible mentor.

Had Chuuya not picked her up from the streets, she would've died from starvation. Being loyal and faithful to him would be the least she can do. Of course, she's showering him with appreciation gifts every so often. Ranging from hats to expensive wine to music discs… Anything that her pay can afford.

"Don't panic, Zheng… He'll come around." The young apprentice said to herself in attempt to comfort her panicking heart. She walk past the humble 'make-shift' dinner table she had set-up with the help of Kouyou. Her amber irises stared sadly at the nicely arranged vase of sweet pea flowers, the formal setting of the utensils and plates….

Tomie had to look away, her face displaying a sour expression. Her thoughts were already being plagued with negative thoughts despite such a cheery holiday. "Stop it!" She scolded herself and made a beeline to the kitchenette of her room. She made herself hot chocolate to calm her nerves.

The cold was seeping inside her room despite the high quality heater that was provided so she changed from her shirt and shorts to her favorite sweater and pyjamas. She grabbed the finger-less gloves that she had found in Yokohamabashi several days after her mentor had left for Tokyo. The brunette also took the flannel scarf and leg warmers that Tachihara gave her, as a Christmas gift, and wrapped it around her neck as she sat on her sofa, the hot chocolate in hand.

The young girl stared at her mini-Christmas tree, a small green pyramid glass with a few decorations on the side. Smiling at the pitiful make-shift 'tree', she took the small candle inside it and lit it up before putting it back again. Tomie noticed that the lights were still on. She groaned in irritation.

The brunette stood up to close it since she's not really going to need it while waiting for Chuuya. She didn't want to waste electricity. Going back to her sofa, she sat and waited. The only light that illuminated her room now was the candle inside her Christmas tree. It flickered with life, something opposite of what Yamazaki is doing by simply staring at the green pyramid.

After several minutes of spacing out, her phone buzzed from her pyjama's pocket. 00:00, it read. Tomie closed her eyes upon seeing the numbers, forcing back the tears.

It was already December 25. There are still no signs of Chuuya anywhere. No texts. No calls.

"I guess I'm spending another Christmas alone." She sighed again. "Lonely Christmas, Zheng… Lonely Christmas…"

* * *

Please exchange the 'dot's in the link for a special something that I drew at 2AM in the morning~

 **principessabel( _dot_ )tumblr( _dot_ )com/post/154900317103/**

* * *

 **A/N:**

I'll be replying to the reviews on the next update because, my golly it's 3AM and my mother is going to kill me. I just really have to post this for you guys, okay? Let's pretend it's exactly 00:00 and I'm not late for a Christmas chapter hahahahaha

And I hope you guys didn't spend Christmas alone, or if you don't celebrate it, I hope you're doing well with your day – unlike poor little Tomie here… Merry Christmas everyone~!


	7. Pt1, Ch5: The Mistletoe

PART 1: THE GOOD  
CHAPTER 5  
[The Mistletoe]

* * *

Cherry blossom petals float around the air as the breeze and gravity brought it down to the earth. Five centimeters per second… That's what she's been told. The cherry blossom petals fall down at a rate of five centimeters per second. She didn't cared much about that.

All she _cared about_ was to be able to become the honorable woman her family wanted her. But being an honorable woman wasn't what she _wanted_. No, she didn't want to be married to a random man in their town just because she's nearing the age of wedlock. She wanted a different life from what her family had chosen for her.

It was him.

It always has been him.

It had always been the teen who called himself _'Dazai Osamu'_.

Her amber-colored irises stared at him with yet _another_ yearning expression. She wanted him to be hers - and _only hers_. It was impossible, sure, but a girl can dream. Tucking back the stray strands of her long black hair behind her ears, she looked away, hoping that her feelings may fall down at a rate of five centimeters per second and lose its life after a few days - just like the cherry blossom petals. She didn't like the hurt she feels whenever the dark-haired teen would talk and flirt with the other girls in their town.

The girl sighed. How the hell did he even affect her so much? All he did was… be himself. He was a slightly known writer who had moved in their town several months back - no friends, no family. Given that he was absolutely gorgeous, she was more than inlove with how he wrote his stories.

Her brother became friends with Dazai and had once borrowed a book of his but left it at their home. Her, being a studious girl she is, took the book to inspect it.

Upon reading, she didn't know that she had been unconsciously sucked within his world. As she continued reading, his stories weren't merely stories to her anymore… It had been a reflection of his past, his personality and his goals. Everytime she asks her brother to borrow a book from him, it feels as if she's been looking at a mirror.

A mirror where an honest Dazai Osamu is staring back at her.

But now… Even if he's only a few feet away from her, she can't reflect the smile that he has on his face - not if he's smiling because of other girls.

She was a mere fan. He was the idol. It's bound to be that way.

She sighed again and picked up a fallen cherry blossom flower. The golden eyed girl smiled at it wistfully. _Oh, how beautiful yet ephemeral._ Once she gets married off to a suitor that her family approved, she will be nothing but a cherry blossom. Something so lovely yet it's life is nothing but a fleeting soul.

"You are the sister of Ota, are you not?" A hedonistic voice spoke beside her, surprising the young girl. She looked to her right and the most dazzling brown eyes stared back at her. A familiar face smiled at her patiently, waiting for her reply.

It was her beloved. The one and only.

"Indeed I am." She nodded meekly, a blush reaching up her cheeks. She didn't know what to say. It was their first conversation and she didn't want it to be awkward. _She wanted it to become memorable._ However, the risk of screwing things up if she talked is higher than the risk of being rude towards her idol. "I am Ota Shizuko."

He took notice of the cherry blossom on her hand. With a kind smile, the dark-haired teen took it from her, the tips of their fingers slightly touching. The black-haired girl felt a spark between them, electricity buzzing around them. Shizuko tried her best to control her emotions. It was not her ideal first meeting with Dazai if she accidentally electrocutes him with her gift.

For a short second, she was distracted from focusing her ability to avoid a potential murder. A hand held the side of her cheeks and it felt as if her gift was stripped from her, something that made her feel comfortable - knowing that she can't harm anyone. She looked up at Dazai, who had placed the flower on the part of where she had tucked her hair prior to their conversation. The teen adjusted it and took in Shizuko's blushing glory."Has anyone told you that you are as beautiful as a cherry blossom?"

With a glowing smile, she replied, " _I believe you would be the first._ "

* * *

 _ **DECEMBER 30, 20XX; 7:49 PM**_

Yamazaki wanted to escape.

She didn't know that her most formidable enemy, which reduced her to the lack of speech and her mind haywiring all over the place, wasn't Akutagawa.

It was… something else.

The girl was as pale as a ghost on the pathetic situation she's in. It was a party, for god's sake, and she had wounded herself in a very awkward situation. _Karma's a stupid bitch_ , she glowered to herself.

Had she not run away from Chuuya upon the registration at the front door, she wouldn't have been stuck in a rock and a hard place. The curly-haired teen had instructed her to always hold the crook of his elbow so she can avoid the predatory presence of the other members of the mafia. However, as troublesome as a child, she slipped from her mentor's hands to follow Tachihara with her new phone in attempt to get her revenge.

Tomie gulped.

She was sweating pin drops and her heart was beating so fast at the sight infront of her. Never in her whole life had she seen a woman so confident to flaunt her body and skin to everyone in the room which comprised mostly of men. She was envious of their self-assurance but thinking about being in their shoes, more specifically in their clothes, made her spine shiver.

The woman in front of her moved closer to Tomie and the _object of interest_ bounced slightly upon the action.

 _Boobs._

Yamazaki looked to her left, evading her gaze from the woman's humongous breasts.

 _Boobs._

Yamazaki looked to her right, evading her gaze from the woman's ginormous breasts.

 _Boobs._

Oh, how Dazai would've (probably) killed to be in her place.

She just know it. Her eyes wandered at the huge ballroom in the Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu, hoping to see the said suicidal teen – a possible person who can help her with the situation. Chuuya's out of the option since he was the one who had advised her to not stray away from him, it would be embarrassing to come back for his help.

She knew that there was no turning back. She had lost Michizou in the crowd and the three voluptuous women in front of her was taking interest in her maroon dress that Kouyou had picked for her. She loved the dress yet she hated the dress. It was giving her unnecessary attention from other people because of how it 'fit her' and how it 'made her look so amazing'.

The first woman in a moss green ball gown, black haired lady with a bob cut hairstyle, looked at her with a spark in her blue eyes that Yamazaki can't place. "What's your name, girl?" She asked, her voice a little too high pitched for the brunette's hearing. The look on her eye seemed hostile and judgmental to the young girl but Tomie immediately dismissed it. She didn't want to see evil in everyone.

Dazai had once told her that ' _evil expects evil in others_ '. She didn't want an attitude like that. The only exception would be Akutagawa since the boy was anything _but_ good to her.

"I-I'm Ya-Yamazaki Tomie, ma'am…" The young apprentice stuttered, taken aback from the question of the first woman. The ravenette seemed to be faking her smile, something that tied a knot in Yamazaki's gut.

She didn't like to be enemies with women since she's a girl, too. Akutagawa was enough trouble for her faint heart. But dealing with these women is already taking a toll on her – and she's only conversed with them for less than three minutes.

"How old are you?" The second woman in a bright pink mermaid-cut gown, red hair flowing down until the tail of her spine, asked her.

"I'm fourteen." She said meekly, trying to make it seem as if she's looking for someone. Tomie was hoping that the women will be able to pick up on her gestures. She added, "I'll be turning fifteen in a few months."

"You're so young to be here…" The third woman in a silver ball gown, blonde hair falling until her shoulders, said to her. To the young apprentice, she looked somewhat dismayed and envious at Tomie. The brunette didn't know why but it added another knot on her gut. "Who's your escort?"

"Shh," The first lady shushed her friend, a cautious frown visible on her face, "Maybe she's a daughter of an executive."

"Who? Mori-sama?" The second lady dubiously inquired, taking a quizzical look at the girl, "Well, she does kind of look like his late-wife."

"Oh, I'm an orphan, ma'am." Tomie explained, "I don't have family here."

The third lady's eyebrows perked up, "Really? So you are here because of your _connections_?" She questioned the brunette, her emphasis on the word 'connections' made another knot on Tomie's gut.

"Connections?"

"Someone important in the mafia had invited you?"

She nodded and smiled, getting the said invitation from her purse, "I got the invitation directly from the top brass, ma'am." Tomie said honestly, showing the gold encrusted paper to the ladies. Chuuya and her shared the same version of the invitation but Tachihara had a silver one. Her mentor had said that the invitations on these parties depend on the person's contributions to the mafia's success and the title that had been given to that person upon their stay in the mafia.

It was somewhat a trophy to brag about by each members, Chuuya told the girl. With a malicious smirk, she had rubbed her gold invitation on Tachihara's face until she had the boy reaching for his guns. After that, they had made a challenge as to who would get a gold invitation on the next event. The winner gets all the excuse to brag about their accomplishments and the loser would be the 'slave' for the winner for a whole day.

Envy suddenly flashed on their expressions upon seeing the young girl's invitation.

The young mafioso felt as if it was wrong of her to bring out the said paper. At first, she found no reason as to why these women would be jealous of her - given that she thought that they had the diamond version of the invitation, same as the one Dazai had accepted. They seemed to be respectable and rich enough that the mafia may have given them the paper, but she was mistaken.

 _Thoroughly mistaken._

"The suspense is killing me," The woman in the pink dress expressed, crossing her arms beneath her breasts, her tone no longer nice and gentle. "I'm just gonna ask her directly."

"Girl, don't." The woman in the silver dress stopped her friend, fear somewhat evident on her face. Tomie was confused as to what was going on and she asked herself, _are they going to ask if I stole the invitation?_

"You can't keep beating around the bush! I _have_ to know."

 _Huh?_ The brunette looked at her with a frown and an uneasy expression on her face.

"Who's your _sugar daddy_ here, sweetie?"

 _Sugar…_

 _...daddy._

 _HAH?!_

Tomie had to double take at the question. "My what?" She asked, all the patience and politeness on her voice vanished like thin air. Her amber eyes stared widely in disbelief at the woman.

"Well, you _are_ a pretty face - despite your weird colored eyes..." The lady in the moss green dress complimented the confused girl. She lifted up Tomie's face with her hand positioned at the girl's jaw, examining the apprentice's face and make-up, "In a few years, your body _will_ be in tiptop shape for _that_ when you come of age."

Then Tomie realized that she hasn't been understanding their conversation ever since it started.

"I'm a-"

A voice through the crowd cut her with an abrupt 'Tomie!' followed by a gloved-hand that placed itself on her shoulder, "Where have you _been_?" The man behind her exclaimed, her amber eyes met a pair of familiar pools of cerulean. "I told you to stay put-"

"Chuuya-san!" Tomie exclaimed and smiled at him childishly, her lips stretching from ear to ear.

The red headed mafioso sighed at his apprentice, his hand still lingering on her shoulder. The gesture seemed too over-protective but the girl felt comfortable just by knowing that Chuuya is finally there with her. He was the one better in socialization, after all. "Madams, I'm sorry if Tomie's been bugging you…" He said, taking off his hat and placed it in front of his chest, an apologetic smile displaying on his face.

"Oh, not at all, Nakahara-sama!" The woman in the moss green dress took a step back, retracting her hand from Tomie's face. She seemed nervous upon seeing Chuuya and the young apprentice felt _smug_. The woman was downright smitten to her mentor, something that always happens in events and meetings like these.

The brunette's smile widened as she slowly, unnoticeably moved closer to her mentor. "She's a very polite girl…" She heard the woman in the pink dress compliment her but Tomie knew that her tone was hollow.

"I hope you ladies are having a pleasant evening?" Her mentor asked, his voice never losing it's politeness despite the air of confidence and authority around him.

"Indeed, Nakahara-sama." The ravenette answered, "Little Tomie's very pretty, isn't she?"

"You've got such a good eye on your ladies, Nakahara-sama." The blonde agreed.

"A few more years and she's going to be very _useful_ …" The redhead added.

Chuuya's smile didn't falter. The teen looked somewhat confused at first but Tomie noticed his slight recomposure within a span of few seconds. He merely let out a patient sigh and explained, "I'm sorry but I think we do not understand each other here. She's not my girlfriend."

"She's… not?"

"Then who's her…?"

"This is Yamazaki Tomie, she's my apprentice." Upon hearing her mentor's words, the brunette glowed with pride, a pompous smirk forming itself on her face. _Take that, madams!_ She thought to herself, taking in the surprised expression of the women. Chuuya continued, "I've been training her under the boss' commands."

"Oh, she's… a member?" The blonde lady asked in disbelief.

"A young girl her age?" The ravenette added in shock.

" _Yep_." She casually blurted out, her amber eyes fiery with complacency. Chuuya squeezed her shoulder - _hard_ \- upon hearing such a blasé reaction, causing Tomie to groan softly in pain and pleasure. She blushed in embarrassment and immediately retracted her impolite response in a well-behaved manner, "I-I mean, yes, ma'am!"

"She's a little rough on the edges right now but with a little more polishing, she'll be as formidable as that shitty Dazai and I." The red-headed mafia explained further. He was making sure that Tomie is keeping silent, what with his hand still gripping her shoulder unforgivingly. _It'll bruise but nothing she can't handle,_ he thought to himself. He can feel the girl panting and her skin was getting warmer, a sign that she won't be talking to the ladies informally anytime soon.

After a few more minutes of conversing with them, Chuuya excused himself and Tomie, telling the ladies that he would like to introduce his apprentice to the others as well.

"Whew..." The brunette sighed in relief as Chuuya's hand left her poor abused shoulder. She was flushing red, slightly sweating because she had been forcing herself to not moan out loud. That'd be embarrassing.

Her mentor sighed, exasperated from his apprentice's antics. It wasn't even past eight o'clock and she's been getting into so much trouble. "You've wounded yourself in an awkward situation there, Tomie." He said to her, a teasing tone evident on his voice.

"You added to the awkwardness, Chuuya-san." She replied gloomily, lightly punching her mentor's shoulder. She grunted in irritation, remembering the women's words, "They were asking me who's my sugar daddy! Like I need one to be able to become part of the mafia!" Tomie pouted and crossed her arms, slightly offended that they didn't think about her being an official member.

The cerulean-eyed teen snorted at her. "You should've told them it's _Dazai_." He said, enunciating each syllable of the last word with sarcasm.

" _Eugh_." She displayed a disgusted expression and visibly gave out an appalled shiver, "I'd rather _jump_ from the top of the Cosmo Clock than tell that to _them_."

"They'd _die_ of envy if you did tell them that."

"Oh, I bet." Tomie replied with cynicism, "Who are they, anyway?"

"They're _girlfriends_ of some of the older members." Chuuya explained, steering Yamazaki to the buffet table, much to her pleasure. "They're only there for the bedroom, if you ask me. Soon enough, they'll either end up in the middle of the ocean, being eaten by sharks, or as a trophy bride for the rest of their lives."

With her mentor's explanation, a funny thought passed the girl's mind. Before she could stop herself, she was laughing uncontrollably. "I… I can't…! Can't imagine…" She mumbled out in between laughs.

Chuuya was perplexed. His apprentice suddenly started giggling like a little girl, much to his aggravation. He raised his hands to slap the back of Yamazaki's head but the girl stopped laughing and explained, "I can't imagine you being a sugar daddy. Are you considering…?" She faltered as she started laughing again, finding amusement in the thought.

"I'm basically _your_ sugar daddy right now, Tomie." The short mafioso rolled his eyes, crossing his arms, "I don't need another girl to waste my money on."

"Fair point." Tomie replied, pointing her index finger at her mentor and nodded at his statement, finding no wrong in what he had just claimed. "I like the hats… And that watch you brought from Tokyo last week… And those pretty shoes that I can't wear-"

"You're not wearing it tonight?!" Chuuya raised his voice in fury, mostly because of his rage in hearing that Yamazaki wasn't wearing what he told her. He lifted up her dress, just enough to see that she really came in barefoot, "I thought I told you to use it on the event?" The blue-eyed teen asked, roughly shoving the cloth of Tomie's dress back. His temper was rising once again, and the brunette knew she should be careful. She'll be in big trouble if she happens to snap him accidentally.

However, the fact that her mentor was implying that she _can't_ have any other choices because he had _chosen_ for her… _it infuriated her to no end_.

"Well, I'm sorry." Tomie replied in a very impudent and spoiled tone, amber-eyes ablaze with the same fury in her mentor's stormy blue ones. "It freaks me out when I can't feel the ground under my feet! Imagine your head without your hat!" She explained with the same intensity as his voice, "Doesn't it feel weird?"

"Good analogy…" Chuuya agreed, suddenly forgetting his wrath towards his apprentice. However, as soon as he forgot about the subject, he remembered it easily and shouted at Tomie hysterically, "Don't change the subject, you bratty little princess!"

Tomie noticed a familiar red-head pass by from behind Chuuya. It looked like it was her one and only rival, the annoying frenemy, Tachihara. She wasn't paying anymore attention to her mentor as she distractedly stared at him walk around the venue.

"Your feet needs at least some form of protection from the ground-"

"Is that Tachihara?" She asked her mentor, pointing towards the direction of the said teen.

Chuuya looked at Tomie with suspicion filled his eyes but followed where her hand was directed at. It is indeed the said gunman in question. "Yeah, why...?" He looked back at his apprentice, seeing a goofy smile on her face and phone in hand.

It was the new one that they bought, a few days after the one that slipped through Tomie's hands and landed on the sea - an obvious lie from Yamazaki but Chuuya accepted it and didn't pry as to _how that happened a_ few hours after they bought it.

"Hehe~" She laughed maliciously, a grin displayed on her face. Yamazaki was taking pictures of Tachihara while the camera was zoomed in so close to the unknowing red-head. "Oh, sweet revenge~" Tomie chanted to herself.

"What are you doing?" Chuuya asked his eccentric apprentice, passing her a plate.

"He took a picture of me while I was eating sushi yesterday and it looked horrendous!" Tomie put back her phone on the small purse that came with her dress. She took the plate from her mentor and they both started to fill their respective plates with a variety of food that displayed the buffet table. "I'm using this as payback and blackmail."

"You're really still a child, huh."

"What?"

"I know what it feels to not experience a regular childhood. Enjoy your youth while you can." The azure-eyed teen said, eyes filled with envy and longing as Tomie stared at him. "In four years, you'll be like me and that shitty mackerel-"

"You sound like an old man…" She jested, hoping to cheer up Chuuya. As much as she liked teasing her mentor when she had the chance, there are times that her pity and sympathy towards Chuuya stands out. This time were one of those times. Tomie gave him the most sincere smile she could muster, "That doesn't sound bad, though. I get to spend more time with you!"

"Are you falling in love with me, young lady?" Chuuya deadpanned, an unamused expression showing on his face. He pulled a chair for his young apprentice in one of the round tables on the banquet hall.

"You're like a brother to me, Chuuya-san." Tomie admitted as she sat on the said chair, giving out a soft 'thank you' towards his mentor. She then looked at him with a malicious smirk, almost painstakingly similar to Chuuya's, and said in her sweetest tone, "Do you want me to~?"

"Remove that smirk off your face." The red-headed mafioso glared at her, "You look like an ugly piece of shit."

The girl laughed at his childish retort. "Then you look uglier!" She replied, taking a bite of the macaron she got from the buffet table. It tasted like salt and caramel combined, something that peeved off Tomie. She didn't like the way the salt cut through the sweetness of the caramel. If something's _supposed_ to be sweet, it _has_ to be sweet. However, despite the fact that she didn't like the flavor, the girl knew how much it must've cost for the Port Mafia to employ the caterers. Perhaps more than a hundred thousand yen, considering the amount of food she has yet to try. _I have to finish these or I'll be such an ungrateful child._

"You're the ugliest." She heard Chuuya said to her, not giving up on their mini-verbal war. When Tomie said nothing, the petit mafia took it as a sign of victory. He didn't know that she was concentrating on how to eat the remains of the salted caramel macaron.

 _Hoo boy, you can do it, Zheng._

 _Three…_

 _Two…_

 _One…_

The brunette's whole body cringed upon eating the remains of the said dessert in one go. She took the glass of water, which was already set on the table, and drank almost half of it in one gulp. Tomie tried to catch her breath due to the whole ordeal, the silence between her and her mentor starting to irritate her.

Being with Chuuya for more than six months, she had picked up on most of his habits. _One of those is not being able to stand a silent dining table_. He was talkative while eating, giving the girl a good opportunity to know more about him over the past few months. And they go out to eat together quite a lot - given that neither Tomie nor Chuuya knows how to cook anything past the instant ramen level. The only times both tried to help in the kitchen was when Kouyou asked for their assistance, which wasn't very often.

As much as she wanted to speak up and cut the hushed atmosphere around them, _she didn't know what to say_.

A few more seconds passed, Chuuya spoke up, "So, I've heard..."

 _Finally!_ She internally exclaimed, looking at her mentor with a smile and an audible _'hm_?'

A groan escaped the young man, rolling his eyes as he saw the part around Tomie's lips and her cheeks filled with bits of macaron. "Wipe your face off! There're still crumbs on your lips." In hearing her mentor's reprimand, the girl panickedly looked for a table napkin but Chuuya was faster than her. He had already grabbed the cloth and gently cleaned off her face, sapphire eyes focused on the job infront of him.

Tomie pouted and huffed childishly, mumbling under her breath that she ' _can do it herself_ ' and that ' _Chuuya can fuck off_ '. The red-head only shook his head regarding the girl's reaction but he continued anyway, seeing that she had made a mess of herself from that single macaron. "Anyway, I heard that the boss assigned you with Akutagawa."

"Oh, _that_. That's the _worst_ present the boss could give to me, to be honest!"

"That's temporary." Chuuya replied simply, finishing off the last bits he could see on Yamazaki's face.

The young apprentice gave out a confused _'huh_?'. _Akutagawa didn't tell me anything about this_ , she mentally said to herself.

He sat back on his chair, giving Tomie a knowing smirk, "You're learning Italian in the next few months. The boss gave me permission to bring you to Italy."

 _Italy._

 _I-ta-ly._

" _Shut up_." Wide golden orbs stared at Chuuya with disbelief, her face didn't know what kind of expression she should be making. She didn't know if she should be _sad_ that she's leaving Yokohama, _happy_ that she's leaving Yokohama, or _scared_ that she's leaving Yokohama.

"He wanted us to personally meet with the allied organizations in Milan and Sicily. Perhaps the boss is thinking about strengthening our connections with the mafia in Europe. I heard that the mafia in Italy is a lot harsher than us, though." The young mafioso explained as he ate his share of food. He was expecting Tomie to give out a sassy retort but it didn't came. A few more seconds passed, Chuuya looked at his apprentice in slight worry. She was frozen in place, eyes glazed and distant. "Oi, Tomie. Earth to Yamazaki Tomie? Hey, wake up, sweet cheeks."

"I get to go to Italy?" She questioned, a dumb expression etched on her face.

"Yes."

She gave out a gleeful and unreserved cheer, which had Chuuya reaching in to cover her loud mouth. "Don't squeal!" He scolded and retracted his hands when Tomie gave out a sheepish shrug. "There's your Christmas present from the boss. Are you happy now?"

"More than happy~" She chirped, continuing to eat her food, "I bet can work with Akutagawa-san happily, knowing that I'm saying goodbye in a few months~"

"You better work hard. The boss is sending us to Europe for free and is paying us twice as much." Chuuya said, finally giving the girl a proud expression and genuine smile. For the first time in Chuuya's life, it felt as if he had helped someone other than himself. _He helped her get this opportunity to go to Italy. He was a big part of how she's going to go to Italy._ And as far as he know, with the boss' orders or not, supporting Tomie is going to be one of his many unwritten achievements.

"Belated merry Christmas, Tomie." He added, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Sorry I didn't get to come back during Christmas…"

"That's okay!" Tomie moved her chair closer to Chuuya's and reached in for a hug. "Merry Christmas, Chuuya-san~"

* * *

It had been _such_ a perfect evening. After eating, there were performances of all kinds - dance numbers, magic tricks and even games. Tomie was happy that Dazai hadn't been spoiling her evening with his usual jokes and antics. She remembered that Dazai had temporarily removed the bandage on his right eye and, _damn_ , Tomie wanted to slap herself for thinking that he had looked a hundred times more attractive than he already was.

After the performances, she caught sight of him flirting with the other women, and that stupid tug in her heart was present (again). It had been going on for a few weeks now whenever she's presented with the same situation infront of her eyes. Yamazaki felt… jealous and envious- With an irked grunt, she shrugged it off and went back to the buffet table.

 _However, it seemed that karma was still_ not _done with her._

As she was trying to pick out more food from the table, a woman came to her side and complimented her dress. Before Tomie could reply her words of gratitude, the lady was already ushering her towards the dancefloor. A panicked look spread across her face as she was being told that it's easy to dance the waltz and that they needed extra dancers for the cotillion so she'll have to make do.

With her heart thumping in fear and anxiety, everything she was feeling suddenly vanished when Tachihara came into view. Her panic changed into disgust when she realized that they'll be dancing together, in a very romantic setting and in a very romantic holiday. A big part of the brunette wanted to punch the red-head but another part of her merely wanted to run away.

Tachihara placed his left hand on the side of the young apprentice's torso, the right one holding hers. The two refused to move from their very awkward position, what with the only times they'd commit skin contact was during missions - and that doesn't count because it's a life-or-death situation… that is, until the lady came back and scolded the two teens.

The music started and they swayed with the melody, copying the nearest couple beside them. Tachihara grunted in annoyance, "Geez, why do I get to _dance_ with you?"

Yamazaki rolled her eyes, repeating what Tachihara had said, "Geez, why do I get to dance with _you_?"

"Don't imitate me, Yamazaki." He said, accidentally stepping on the girl's foot.

She yelped in pain and glared at the boy, "Then don't step on my feet, Tachihara."

"Well, I'm sorry you're not wearing any shoes again, _miss_."

"Well, I'm sorry you have two left feet, _mister_."

"You wanna fight?!" The orange-eyed teen challenged, his eyes set ablaze with fury.

"You wanna lose?!" Tomie replied, her voice mocking.

"Heh," The boy gave her a sly grin, his hands pulling her closer. Yamazaki tried to get away from his grip but Michizou whispered oh-so-mockingly on her ear, " _You already lost._ "

"What?" She eyed the boy with suspicion. Tachihara tipped his head to the right and Yamazaki wanted to scream in what she saw.

 _Surprise, surprise... It was the one and only, Dazai Osamu._

She had seen Chuuya dance the waltz in a cotillion before, due to some random mission they were assigned to, and the part of the music was starting to get the dancers ready for the exchange of partners. Much to the brunette's horror, Dazai was happily dancing with a girl, around his age, beside them and he's the one who's going to switch with Tachihara.

It meant that she's going to have to dance with none other than mafia's resident suicidal maniac. " _Oh god_." Tomie tightened her grip on Tachihara's hand, trying her best to pull him close to her in attempt to not switch with Dazai. "NO. K-Keep me! Keep me in your arms!" She desperately chanted, not wanting to embarrass herself infront of the young executive. "Mi-Michizou, h-hold me tight! Don't you fucking dare…"

The red-headed boy laughed at his partner's distress. "Here's a belated merry Christmas to you, Tomie." With one last twirl, he had made sure Yamazaki ends up in Dazai's arms, all blushing and panicked.

The brunette uncomfortably held Dazai's perpetually bandaged hands, her ability once again stripped off of her. "I will destroy you, Tachihara!" She hissed in irritation, amber-eyes glaring at the laughing teen.

Dazai chuckled at the sight, gently smiling at the young girl, "You two are bickering as usual."

"Yeah…" Yamazaki nodded, her earlier fiery attitude gone with the wind. Her heart was hammering loudly, trying her best to distract herself from that alluring smell of the dark-haired teen's scent. "B-Belated merry Christmas, Dazai-san…" She stuttered, mentally scolding herself for feeling so… _awkward_.

"Belated merry Christmas to you, too, Tomie-chan~" The suicidal teen cooed, his gentle smile turning into a lopsided playful grin.

"Hah," Upon seeing Dazai's change of expression, Tomie grinned back at him, "This is where you'd ask me about your present, aren't you?" She teased, her previous dread turning into her usual sass and childish nature.

"You know me so well~!" Dazai nodded eagerly and looked at the girl with sparkling dark eyes, "What is it?"

She was about to reply 'nothing', but a familiar riddle came to her, "What's greater than God and more evil than the Devil; the rich want it but the poor have it?" Yamazaki asked him, her grin turning into a 'Chuuya-like' smirk.

"Is that a riddle?" The dark-haired teen questioned, his face expressing confusion from the girl's statement.

"The answer is your present from me." She nodded, "When you know the answer, talk to me again later~"

"I'll think about that after I complimented your pretty dress~"

"Please don't think perverted things while looking at my dress."

"What do you take me for?" Dazai gasped dramatically.

Yamazaki thought about Dazai's question seriously.

Being such an annoying pain in the ass aside, he was a respectable individual despite such a young age. ' _The youngest executive of all mafia history'_ , is what they'd always dub him. The explanation was a no-brainer if one had stayed for more than a month in the organization, in which Yamazaki had. To her, Dazai _deserved_ the highly revered title. His blood was as black as their deeds - ' _mafia black_ ', is what Hirotsu had once described to her.

Dazai may be a peculiar man but that doesn't discredit him from all of the things he had contributed to the mafia. His plans were always carefully calculated, each step creating a complex web of multifaceted tactics to bring an enemy down. Yamazaki knows and had experienced this firsthand.

She had worked with him and Chuuya once, on her fourth month in the mafia. According to the plan, she would create a huge distraction by destroying the enemy hide-out's electric supply and interfere with the phone and internet signal as her mentor and his partner worked behind the sidelines. She had only caught up with Dazai's elaborate plan almost a three-thirds of the way through the mission. The brunette idolizes – _respects_ – him for that.

Aside from being someone like her mentor, there's a part of her that wanted to become like Dazai - smart, intelligent and confident. The money doesn't bother Yamazaki anymore. She's had more than enough from her first six paychecks. All she wants now is to be able to improve herself for the better.

And the environment with Dazai and Chuuya is making her force herself to improve at such a fast rate. She's aware that her powers have limits but the situation forces her to be creative in with her gift. It was, after all, a blessing and a curse that she has to put up with for the rest of her life.

Going back to the present time, Tomie looked at Dazai straight in the eyes and said in a monotonous voice, "A very flirtatious smooth-talking lady-killer bandage-wrapped suicidal alcohol-loving attractive young mafia executive."

" _Attractive_?" The dark haired teen stared at her, his eyes wide as saucers upon hearing the girl's words.

The brunette nodded nonchalantly, finding none of her words to be surprising to hear. "That aside, everything's negative." She smiled sweetly at Dazai, sarcasm noticeably dripping from her tone.

"Chuuya's been teaching you more bad things!" Dazai groaned dramatically, placing the blame on Chuuya for Tomie's actions. The teen pouted childishly.

The amber-eyed teen laughed at his reaction, "He's a very responsible mentor."

The suicidal executive sighed with a smile, pulling the girl closer. He was happy that the girl now sees him almost as an equal whenever she talks to him, being all casual and friendly. "Considering that the boss is immediately promoting you abroad, then I'll have to give that hat rack some credits… But you played a huge role in your own success, Tomie-chan. _You deserve it_."

Tomie stared at Dazai in embarrassment, her cheeks heating up as a blush crept up to her face. "Th-Thank you…"

"Don't get a boyfriend over Italy, okay?" He said, rubbing his cheeks with hers like a clingy little kitten. Tomie tried to push him away but Dazai continued, "I'll get jealous~"

"You're not even my boyfriend, Dazai-san." Yamazaki rolled her eyes, giving up with the losing battle with Dazai's ruthless soft cheeks. Can't he respect my personal space?! She sighed in exasperation.

"Then, can _I_ be your boyfriend?"

"N-No!" The girl exclaimed, her heart once again hammering against her chest. This time, her hands went cold yet her face and ears felt like they were burning up.

"Meanieee~" Dazai sobbed, feigning crocodile-tears and mumbled random things like 'why can't you just say yes' or 'I'll be the bestest boyfriend ever, Tomie-chan' in an agonized tone.

The two of them stayed silent for a while, Tomie not knowing what to reply to the dark-haired executive's previous statement. The orchestra stopped playing and a new song started, something that prompted Yamazaki to say unconsciously, "Oh, I know this song…"

" _Love me like you do…_ " Dazai replied, his eyes focused onto the girl's face.

Tomie didn't know how to respond. _Was he_ seriously _asking to be my boyfriend earlier!?_ She asked herself mentally, panicking inwardly as the young executive's gaze didn't left her. The girl bit her lip in embarrassment, forcing herself to not break down at the dancefloor in front of everyone else. It was too much. The shame was too much.

"The song… It's ' _Love Me Like You Do_ ', isn't it?" The teen added, closing his eyes and sang with the music. " _You're the cure, you're the pain; You're the only thing I wanna touch…_ "

Dazai pulled her closer, keeping her in at such an intimate hold - his hands gently but firmly holding her, as if he's not going to let her go. Yamazaki blushed, feeling as if each word was directed towards her. _Impossible,_ she told herself, _Dazai-san is just being nice - nothing more, nothing less._

" _Never knew that it could mean so much, so much._ " He continued, his melodious voice forcing Tomie's doubtful thoughts. He swayed her across the dancefloor as if they were the only people within the cotillion circle. Dazai opened his eyes and smiled at Tomie. " _You're the fear, I don't care… Cause I've never been so high; Follow me to the dark, let me take you past our satellites…_ You can see the world you brought to life, to life…" He chuckled upon seeing Tomie look like a deer-in-the-headlights from his singing. "Come on, Tomie-chan, sing with me~"

"N-No way… I don't sing…" She admitted, remembering that one time when Chuuya laughed at her for trying to sing a lullaby with her tone-deaf singing voice.

Dazai looked behind him, seeing that the balcony doors were open. He guided Tomie outside while continuing to sing the song, " _So love me like you do, love me like you do…_ "

"U-Uhm… We're… Why are we getting a-away from the cotillion circle?" The brunette inquired in alarm, hoping that the woman who had ushered her to dance wouldn't scold them once she sees two of the dancers went rogue. "D-Dazai-san?!"

"Shhh, just follow me, my princess…" He replied sweetly, twirling the girl as he brought her to the open air balcony. The moon's glow shone so beautifully down them, the rays creating such a romantic effect on the said place.

"B-But why…?" She asked, letting go of Dazai's hands and taking a step back from him. Tomie wanted to go back to the banquet hall, Chuuya's words resonated on her ears: _'Should he do anything to bring you to a secluded place, run for your life if you want to preserve your innocence'_

"D-Dazai-san! You're not going to ask me to jump on the balcony with you, are you?"

"That's a good thought!" Dazai's eyes lit up brightly, "Want to commit a double suicide, Tomie-chan?"

"N-No!" She exclaimed, panicking at the situation she's currently in. Yamazaki didn't want to seem to be avoiding the mafia executive too much, it would be rude and he might retaliate by telling the boss to not let her go to Italy. Dazai is, in fact, more powerful than Chuuya is in terms the hierarchy of the Port Mafia.

Tomie felt a hand slip in beside her torso and held her hands, the way it was before when she and Dazai were dancing. The bandaged teen had positioned them both again for a waltz, "Let's dance here~ It gives us much more privacy and it's more romantic, don't you think?"

"No…" The girl weakly replied, crumpling in Dazai's arms in exhaustion. Tomie knew that she was over-thinking too much. Dazai doesn't like her romantically. She doesn't like him romantically. He's just being nice and flirty, just like his usual self. _Nothing more, nothing less._

"Am I too eager, Tomie-chan?" Dazai asked her, his tone lacing uncertainty and wariness.

Tomie looked up at Dazai in confusion, "Eager? On what-?" She was cut when he lifted her chin, making sure that the young apprentice was looking at him directly. Her suicidal maniac of a superior leaned in, closing the gap between them, his soft lips crashing against hers.

 _He's kissing me._

The brunette blanked out. She didn't know what to do. Should she kiss back?! Should she try to pull him closer?! Should she push him away?! Should she run away and pretend like nothing had happened?!

Tomie was frozen like a statue. Her mind had melted upon such a simple action. She can't fathom the fact that Dazai _, the almighty Dazai,_ was showing her such a romantic act of affection.

 _HE'S KISSING ME!_

She exclaimed to herself in disbelief yet her eyes unintentionally closed as she felt the dark-haired teen's soft lips push gently against her chapped ones.

Her mind was trying its best to process everything that's been happening. Why is she feeling so happy and excited and scared at the same time? _Could it be that… I really do like him?!_ The brunette asked herself.

After a few more seconds, Dazai pulled away. He was confused when he saw Tomie, looking at him with a horrified expression - what he didn't know was that Tomie was already dreading the fact that she _liked_ what her superior did. As desperate as it may sound, Tomie can't help but feel as if… _she wanted more_.

The bandage clad executive chuckled nervously, afraid that he might've _finally_ broken the young girl, and merely said with his usual playful voice, "There's a mistletoe~"

"W-wha…" She looked up to the ceiling and saw the said plant, a feeling of dismay sat on the pit of her stomach.

"Mistletoe aside, I really _really_ like you, Tomie-chan…" With those words, Dazai cupped her face and slowly dived in for another kiss. Tomie blushed red and gulped at the sudden confession. She unconsciously closed her eyes and waited-

A cough interrupted them, forcing the brunette to open her eyes and whip her head at the direction of the sound. The young apprentice heard Dazai let out an annoyed 'tch' at the man who disrupted them.

"Dazai-san, I'm sorry to interrupt but the boss wants to talk to you..." The man explained, his face poker-faced and his voice monotonous.

"Do tell him that I'll be there in a few minutes." The bandage-wrapped executive replied, his voice strained and controlled. Tomie can only gape at Dazai as he detached himself from her. "Tomie-chan, thank you for dancing with me. Have a good evening and belated merry Christmas again." Before leaving her, he held up her hands gently and kissed it.

"O-Okay… You too, D-Dazai-san."

* * *

The girl was absolutely mindfucked when she went back to the banquet hall. She didn't know how to save face infront of Dazai. To think that he had actually confessed his feelings for her... It was… nerve-wracking.

Tomie sighed at the problem at hand. The brunette walked back to their table from before in a zombie-like pace, her mind still pre-occupied at the events at the balcony. Tachihara was sitting at the bar, drinking of what appears to be a yellow and orange drink that suspiciously looked like a cocktail. Yamazaki made her way towards him, the sound of drowning her embarrassment in alcohol seemed so attractive.

She was stopped on her tracks when Chuuya spun her around, screaming bloody murder, "Oi, Yamazaki! Where's your boyfriend?!"

"B-Boyfriend?" She asked, her face paling upon hearing the word. _He can't have known about it, can he?_ Tomie asked herself, blushing red.

"That mackerel!" The red-head drawled on, swinging his glass of red wine infront of the girl, "I know you're hiding him!"

"I don't have a boyfriend, Chuuya-san… And you're drunk." The young apprentice sighed in exasperation, finally putting the pieces of the puzzle together. She took the glass from her mentor in a gentle way, to avoid him from being more lost in translation and to avoid him from humiliating himself more.

"I'm not drunk! _You're_ drunk!"

"I haven't even touched any of the cocktails in the bar." The brunette explained and ushered him back to their seats, asking a waiter for two glasses of water. "It's tempting since Tachihara's downing the drinks there and he's just around my age…"

"I'm going to kill Dazai!"

"Please don't kill anyone." Tomie pleaded, hoping that this isn't going to be another one of his drink-rage-and-forget moments. It happens quite a lot, especially when he's angry or stressed, and she had somewhat grasped on how to handle him at such times but Tomie has _always_ been cautious. A drunk man is still a drunk man no matter how nice and gentleman they may have been, as said by none other than Kouyou - and it's a lot more dangerous since Chuuya's such a powerful individual.

Chuuya suddenly stood up from his seat and started removing his coat and vest. Tomie stared at her mentor's audacity as the curly haired teen ripped of his necktie and started unbuttoning his dress shirt. Tomie stood up, clawing his hands away from his clothes to avoid further casualties - there were a few women around them who's already eyeing her mentor. She exclaimed in panic, "Stop it- Chuuya-san-!"

The red-head slapped away her hands and used his ability to pin her to the ground as he flew up the ceiling. Tomie groaned in annoyance, "Urgh, you stupid hat rack, get down from there!" She screamed, not taking anymore of Chuuya's shit. Drunk or not drunk, he's not going to embarrass himself infront of the other members. Yamazaki wanted her mentor's image to be as respectable and honorable like when she had first met him.

The petit mafia looked at the ceiling and noticed a mistletoe right beside him. He peered down, momentarily forgetting to pin his student in the floor, and saw the Port Mafia's resident bomber talking to a Black Lizard member. "Kaiji! Look, a mistletoe!"He yelled none too loudly and pointed at the said plant that was hanged in the ceiling, "Go and fuck Masaoka!" Chuuya cackled madly, thinking that his joke was funny.

Yamazaki could only face palm at her mentor's antics. " _…not again_."

"Chuuya-san's drunk again, huh?" Tachihara said to her from behind, a shot glass with clear alcohol present on his right hand. The young gunman was looking up at the laughing red-head, an amused grin present on Michizou's features.

"You don't say…" Tomie shook her head as the boy hoisted her up. She took the shot glass from the boy and downed it in one gulp. It wasn't too alcoholic to the point that it would bring her to oblivion like her mentor, if the brunette was to be asked. Tachihara was about to scold her for stealing his drink but Yamazaki sighed, "I have to bring him up his room now… I can't let him wreak havoc in the ballroom."

"What a sad life you're leading." He said sarcastically, irked about the drink that he didn't get to taste. "Have you seen Dazai-san?"

"No." Tomie lied blatantly.

"His creepy apprentice is dead… _I think._ " The boy said, pointing to the bar. There was a knocked out Akutagawa, his face planted on the table. "I think he passed out after a glass of vodka was switched with his water."

The girl looked at her former partner with a frown, then back at her current partner, "No one can kill _Ryuunosuke_ , Tachihara."

"You're on first… You're on first name basis with him, Yamazaki?!"

"I call him that because he _hates_ it."

"You've got _guts_."

"He can't kill me. Boss' orders~" The young apprentice answered, her face sporting a smug grin as the official letter was sent to her. The order for Akutagawa was to not kill her at all costs for as long as the order is still in action.

"Let me repeat that… You've got _fucking guts,_ lady." Tachihara replied, a look of admiration evident on his face.

"Let him be for now. Dazai-san will pick him up in the morning." She told him, looking up to the ceiling. Tomie wanted to shoot her mentor in what she's currently seeing. A running Chuuya was moving the mistletoes around, forcing the people to 'kiss and fuck each other' in a drunken haze. "Now… How to bring down Chuuya-san from the ceiling…" She mumbled in a strained voice, forcing herself to not snap at the sight.

"I don't think Dazai-san will ever come back for him." She heard Tachihara add, a tone of pity can be heard from his voice.

"How sad…" Yamazaki cooed sarcastically then cried out, "Chuuya-san! I'll burn down your hats if you don't come down from there!"

"Don't you dare, Dazai!" The curly haired mafioso replied, his tone threatening.

The girl's eye twitched at the statement, "I'm not Dazai-san!"

"I will not let you fuck my apprentice! You're a stupid idiot who'll probably won't even know how to do it properly!" Chuuya announced loudly, a collective laugh echoed in the banquet hall and Tomie wanted to electrocute her mentor right then and there.

She heard Tachihara laugh beside her, to which she responded with her elbow to his abdomen. "Shut up, Tachihara." Tomie glared at him but decided that getting Chuuya down from the ceiling was much more of a priority than bickering with her friend-slash-enemy. "Chuuya-san, get down from there!"

"Never!"

A sudden thought came to her. With a complacent smirk, she replied, "Ane-sama will scold you!"

"I'm going down. Calm your tits, I'm going down! I SAID DON'T CALL FOR HER!" With that simple threat, Chuuya came down with a childish pout on his face.

"I'm not calling her..." Yamazaki sighed and directed her mentor to an unoccupied chair. She helped him fix himself as the teen kept on muttering about how 'scary Ane-san is when she's angry' or how 'he's going to get pulverized if Ane-san found him like that'. "Idiot Chuuya-san… Now, I don't know where you left your necktie."

Tachihara marveled at the scene. Tomie had her mentor by the palm of her hand. No one, except the boss, Kouyou and Dazai, had such a grip on Chuuya's erratic personality during his drunken rages. It was an amazing sight, to see his rival force her mentor to wear his vest or he's going to ' _shit his pants because of the cold_ '.

"Tachihara…" A voice spoke behind him, making the boy turn around. It was Hirotsu with his ever so serious mien.

"Gramps, what is it?" He asked, eyebrows cocked up in curiosity.

"Dazai-dono asked the Black Lizard to ' _take care_ ' of his apprentice." The old man replied, pointing at the still sleeping Akutagawa, "Bring Akutagawa-kun to his room. Gin has disappeared in the shadows once again so you'll have to do this task."

The red-headed teen groaned in annoyance, "That bastard Gin's ditched us again!" He complained, crossing his arms infront of him, "Why not you, Gramps?"

"The boss is asking for my audience regarding the next trades since the things in Tokyo have been settled. Dazai-dono said that the keys to Akutagawa's room is in his coat pocket." And with that, the commander of the Black Lizard left without another word.

" _Damn it_." Tachihara cursed under his breath. He was about to go back to the cocktail bar when Tomie passed by, dragging a half-asleep Nakahara. A grand idea popped in the gunman's mind and he called for the girl, "Yamazaki!"

"Yo?"

He went beside Chuuya's other side and hoisted him up, "I'll help bring Nakahara-san to his room." Tachihara said with a friendly smile. _A very friendly smile._

"Really? Thanks!" Yamazaki smiled back in gratefulness, not suspecting a thing from the boy.

"You'll help me with an official Black Lizard mission in exchange."

"Okay. That's not so bad, to be honest. I've worked with you guys plenty~"

 _Tomie, after a few more moments, realized that karma had never been satisfied with her misfortune during that night._

* * *

 **OMAKE:**

 _"Fuck you, Tachihara Michizou!" Tomie screamed at the top of her lungs as she dragged a half-unconscious Akutagawa along the corridors of the hotel. Tachihara was infront of her, bringing a sleeping Chuuya in a piggyback ride. "I will find the biggest cactus in Japan and I'll shove it up your ass with no mercy!" She added in pure rage._

 _The red-head laughed in amusement and teased her with the sweetest voice he can muster, "Go for it, babe~"_

 _"You'll pay for this!" Yamazaki screeched in irritation, not expecting this to be 'the official Black Lizard mission' that her rival was talking about. To her left, Akutagawa was slowly mummifying her with his ability, muttering randoms phrases like 'screw broad beans' and 'you're fucked, Yamazaki'. She tried to remove the strips of his rashoumon but to no avail, he was faster in wrapping her up. "You dip-dye idiot, stop that!"_

* * *

 **kirika07 :** that's for me to know... and you to sit back, enjoy the ride and curse me as I'll present to you the clusterfuck of an explanation in the future chapters~ ' _All in due time'_ , as they say! /pats/ Don't worry, I'm also unsure as to who she'll end up with xD

 **Aikawa Nagisa :** well, here's another chapter filled with Dazai and Tomie! I'm glad that you're happy with the story and I hope you keep on enjoying this!

 **Naliyu :** hehehe, Mori-san said 'shhhh, confidential information~' so I'll keep my mouth shut… for now! It will be revealed in due time, don't worry~!

 **Jasmine :** /laughs/ OH IT WILL BE! Imagine Dazai getting turned on by Tomie's moans, tho- /slapped with a bible/ Okay, I won't disclose any more potential spoilers. hahahah a h a

 **Probably2Insane :** Thank you! I hope you keep reading this because things are just heating up!

 **Guest :** Right? But he was able to get back at her by being her escort at the event! And probably a lot more hats… and the pair of shoes she never really did wore.

 **Mikilla :** Well well well~ Is the sky blue? Is the water wet? BTW, THE DRAWING WAS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS, BAE! I won't repeat what I said in DA but I really loved it!

 **underwhelmedJaded/ VeraVera :** I made it better? OMG stop it you ( / / A / / ) hahaha Dazai really would be her older brother if we go by their age. Dazai is 18 and Tomie is 14 - a four year difference. They're basically like the KyouAtsu pair right now. Thank you for thinking that I caught Ryuu's thinking perfectly. I picture his thoughts as very straightforward but harsh and since their meetings are never the definition of good. I thought 'Huh, what if he's actually _more_ predatory towards Tomie, he would like that'. Again, Mori-san told Akutagawa to be silent about it so I will too~

 **ineed2sleep :** Aaahh thank you and I hope you continue reading this~!

By the way! Since sharing pictures here in FFN is such a _pain in the ass_ , I decided to make a twitter for Tomie! Sometimes I'll post my own drawings of her or share other people's drawing of her, you guys are always open to draw her! (Your imagination is your limit so I won't give out any rules except for crediting her and the story back to me~ _*cough* you can also draw NSFW stuff if y'all want to *cough*_ ) I might also post some snippets of her daily life in the mafia randomly! So please, follow her and her random misadventures in twitter **PM_Yamazaki** : 3 [ _Also, you guys will see me force my way into the Japanese language so please tell me if I have wrong grammar or I'm making a complete embarrassment of myself in that account hahahaha_ ]

I said I'll be posting _this_ Christmas special and _another_ chapter by the second week of January but I think the other chapter _will have to wait_. Don't worry, I'll try to do it by the third or fourth week still, but school is coming up again (SAVE MEEEE) and I kindaaaa… spent the last two weeks with my family because it's the holidays. hehehe, sorry about that! I hope I won't take up months to update again but yeah, priorities. /cries/

Thank you for reading until this point and a follow and favorite is always appreciated but I'd be sooo happy if you guys leave a review! Tell me anything you'd like! I don't bite so please feel free to talk to me~! 'Till next update, and ciao ciao~


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